14
QUEENS WEEKLY, MARCH 15, 2020
AS FELONIES RISE CITYWIDE, NYPD BLAMES
REPEAT OFFENDERS RELEASED WITH NO BAIL
BY TODD MAISEL
For the month of February
2020, major crimes
in New York City rose a
whopping 22.5 percent
when compared to the
same period in 2019 – with
much of the blame going to
repeat offenders who have
been released under the
criminal justice reforms
that release many felons
without bail.
There was some good
news as the murder rate
dropped 20.0 percent from
25 in 2019 to 20. Rape reports
also dropped 6 percent
from 133 last year to
125 this year, officials said.
The city however saw
a 7.1 percent increase in
shooting incidents, from
42 from last year’s 45; Robberies
increased 32.7 percent
from 891 last year to
1,182 this year; assaults
rose 9.2 percent as did burglaries
rose 19.1 percent;
grand larceny increased
23.9 percent and grand larceny
auto jumped a whopping
61.6 percent.
In all there were a total
of 7,632 major crimes
for February versus 6,228
major crimes for the same
period last year.
Mayor Bill de Blasio
joined Commissioner Dermot
Shea in calling on legislative
action to correct some
of the deficiencies in the
criminal justice reforms, including
giving judges discretion
in setting bail or even
holding people who a judge
deems as likely to commit
another crime or has committed
other major crimes
while awaiting the determination
of a desk appearance
ticket.
Some major crimes,
including robbery in the
third degree and most
burglaries, grand larcenies
and car thefts, are released
from custody with
a desk appearance ticket
and are free to commit
more crimes while awaiting
their day in court.
Of those who were
re-arrested, 99 were rearrested
for robbery, 65
for grand larceny, 65 for
felonious assault and one
for murder. These don’t
include hundreds of misdemeanor
crimes.
Chief Crime Control
Strategies Michael LiPetri
took center stage to provide
data to prove that bail
reform had gone awry. He
said 482 people who been
arrested for felonies such
as robbery or burglary,
accounted for 846 crimes.
He said 35 percent, or 299
people were arrested in
the seven major categories
– “the same people were
committing additional
crimes after being released
from custody on a DAT.”
Some of those same people
released with a desk appearance
ticket for a felony
committed murder, rape,
robbery, assault, burglaries
and a variety of grand
larceny including car
theft. That is nearly triple
the amount of those crimes
committed in the same
58 days in 2019. All of the
people were arrested for
offenses that prior to Jan 1
and bail reform, could have
landed them in jail.
“Last night we arrested
an individual,
charged with 25 burglaries,
but because there was
no evidence of a firearm,
you can’t give him bail,”
LiPetri said. “If you are
charged with one burglary
or 25, the subject matter
remains the same and its
the same as being charged
with one. Part of the problem
is with discovery and
we are working with DA’s
office to make cases.”
Lipetri said he was
confident in his data and
was incredulous that the
NYPD had to keep arresting
the same people for the
same and sometimes more
serious crimes.
Commissioner Dermot
Shea, who was a proponent
of criminal justice reform,
says the laws have gone too
far. He said some victims
are being “re-victimized”
as people are released with
only a desk appearance
ticket, or in some instances,
cases are being deferred
or even dismissed.
“There are victims every
day that we are seeing
and to them, it makes
no sense and we have to
explain to these victims,”
Shea said. “What they
(the victims) say is that
it makes no sense.There
is a whole series of serious
arrests but they are
mandated to be DAT’s. It
has grown from 60 to 800
with deferrals at a very
high rate. These same people
committing the same
crimes must be released
without bail.”
Some bail reform
groups are accusing the
NYPD of “manipulating
statistics.”
“Some organizations
are making a charge to
be proactive but they are
wrong — it’s a game and
they should look at the statistics
and people shouldn’t
buy into this. Let’s just fix
it,” Shea said.
Chief Crime Control Strategies Michael LiPetri said the same criminals are committing more crimes after being released on a
DAT. Photo by Todd Maisel
Commissioner Dermot Shea said the criminal justice system needs to be fixed and the mayor
agreed. Photo by Todd Maisel