New Nassau Law Calls For Bail Reform Reports

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — In response to the state's new bail reform laws, the Nassau County Legislature passed a bill this week that would require the police department to create a quarterly report on the effects of the bail law.

The bill received unanimous support from the Legislature and now heads to County Executive Laura Curran's desk.

"With daily news stories of crimes being committed by those released under this 'reform,' it is important for Legislators to gather as much information as possible about the effects of cashless bail in Nassau," Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello said. "The law will provide lawmakers and residents with quantifiable data regarding the suspects released in Nassau without bail and the crimes with which they have been charged, how many of those released have failed to appear for court proceedings, and how many have committed new crimes after being released. . We can then use this information to urge state lawmakers to repeal and replace this so-called reform.”

County Executive Curran said she will sign the bill.

"My administration has been very open with proactively providing statistics to any resident, reporter or lawmaker that requests them and will happily organize the data into a format for our county legislators to easily understand," Curran said. "While I don’t believe an entirely new law has to be created in order to facilitate this practice, I will sign the bill with the safety and security of our communities as my No. 1 focus."

According to the Legislature, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said that major crime is up 5 percent in the county since the cashless bail law took effect Jan. 1.

The Legislature's law will require the police department to put together a report that includes:

• The total number of people released without bail in Nassau County, the charges against them and a brief narrative description of the crimes allegedly committed;
• For those who have been released without bail, the total number of bench warrants issued for failure to attend a criminal action or proceeding, including the charges against them and a brief narrative description of the crimes allegedly committed;
• The number of crimes charged against people while they have been released without bail on a previous criminal charge or charges, including the charges against them and a brief narrative description of the crimes allegedly committed while released without bail.