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New York Police Transit Bureau Assistant Chief Vincent Coogan Holds News Conference in New York, US – 25 Oct 2021
NEW YORK (77WABC) — New Yorkers have made it clear — they want bail reform.
A new Sienna College poll out Tuesday finds voters want the state’s controversial bail reform laws changed as crime surges. 91 percent of those polled said crime is a very serious or somewhat serious problem. 60-percent agreed crime is a serious problem.
“New Yorkers say crime is a serious problem across the state. More than half of every demographic group say it is a very serious problem and at least 84% of every demographic say it is at least a somewhat serious problem,” Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg told the New York Post.
Worries about crime cut across all religious and racial groups.
Meanwhile, two-thirds of voters agree with Mayor Eric Adams that the controversial bail law needs to be overhauled by giving judges the discretion to detain “dangerous” recidivist felons pending trial for a lesser offense. Current laws call for judges to release pre trial detainees if they are charged with a non violent felony or misdemeanor crime that exempts them from cash bail or detention.