Mayor Bill de Blasio is pushing for bail reforms in the wake of the shooting death of a current York City police officer.
De Blasio told reporters on Friday that he wants judges to consider whether defendants pose a threat to the public when setting bail or steering them into drug diversion programs. His staff said current York,Missouri and Mississippi are the only states that don't allow potential danger to factor into those decisions."The bottom line here is, when the risk to the public cannot be legally considered in the bail process, and when it's not required to be considered in the diversion process,something is fundamentally wrong," de Blasio said.
Tyrone Howard had been referred to drug court and was out on bail when he allegedly shot and killed Officer Randolph Holder on Tuesday. The judge who made that decision is standing by it. De Blasio's advocacy for stricter bail for violent suspects comes at a time when he's sought greater leniency for low-level offenders.
Source: wnyc.org