Cuomo’s weak-sauce crime plan misses the real issue: bail reform

Last week, Gov. Cuomo declared gun violence a “disaster emergency” in New York. The governor boasted that the Empire State was the first to issue such a bold declaration. “It is a matter of saving lives,” he said, “and New York’s post-pandemic future depends on it.” People would not come back to cities in our state, he added, “until they know they are safe.”

For those of us in law enforcement, this sudden change in tone came as a welcome surprise. After all, it was barely two years ago when ­Cuomo signed into law sweeping criminal-justice reforms that have transformed the state’s public-safety landscape — for the worse.  At the time, law-enforcement professionals, led by the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York, warned that the reforms would lead to rising crime and a surge of gun violence. As DAASNY’s then-president, I cautioned that the “reckless and irresponsible” legislation would come back to haunt us.