We would like to thank the more than forty Sheriffs…

We would like to thank the more than forty Sheriffs, District Attorneys, Police Chiefs, Probation Directors, and Police Union Officials that joined us at the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, which was one of ten statewide press conferences to call upon the Legislature and Governor to address many serious public safety concerns that we have with the new bail and discovery laws.

These criminal justice reforms that will be going into effect next year will erode public safety, and undermine the trust that victims and witnesses must place in police and prosecutors. It is unfortunate that the concerns of law enforcement professionals were not given any serious consideration when these laws were being drafted and deliberated. Hopefully our communities won’t suffer as a result, but that is not our expectation, given the lack of State support to implement these sweeping, drastic changes. We would implore the Legislature and Governor to delay implementation of these new laws until the concerns of Sheriffs, District Attorneys, Chiefs of Police, and probation professionals can be addressed.