Adams, Hochul Split On Bail Reform As Both Tackle Gun Violence

NEW YORK CITY — A wave of high-profile shootings that gripped New York City prompted both Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul to unveil dovetailing plans to tackle the problem.

But after the pair made a show of unity Wednesday, a divide emerged over a still-controversial issue: bail reform.

Hochul said she backs recent changes that restrict judges from keeping misdemeanor and some felony defendants jailed until trial. The previous system that left some defendants to languish in Rikers for three years for stealing a backpack, while suburban suspects walked free for an equivalent offense, showed the need for reform, she said.

"I will absolutely stand behind the fundamental promise on why we needed bail reform in the first place," she said.

But Hochul's full-throated support of bail reform stands in contrast to Adams' recent sweeping plan to tackle gun violence.

Adams called to let judges consider "dangerousness" as a factor in bail decisions.

"Judges must be able to evaluate a defendant’s criminal history and the circumstances of their alleged crime using reasonable criteria to detain those individuals who pose a threat to the safety of the community, especially regarding gun violence," his proposal states.

The mayor's proposal — "The Blueprint To End Gun Violence" — drew a decidedly mixed response after he revealed it Tuesday. Critics argued many of his proposals, especially one reviving controversial plainclothes "anti-crime" units, were regressive and could lead to abandoned discriminatory policing practices.

Hochul acknowledged and downplayed the differences between herself and the mayor over bail reform. She said the mayor's proposal can be considered by legislators.

The governor concentrated on areas of overlap between her and Adams' approaches, highlighting efforts Wednesday to target the pipeline of guns heading into the city and state.

Adams described the landscape affected by that illicit supply with vivid imagery. He tied it to a recent shooting at Jacobi Medical Center and the deaths of two NYPD officers.

"Our city, our state and our country have become an ocean of violence, a sea of violence," he said. "As I have indicated, there are many indicators that are feeding this sea, and if we don't build a dam on each one of the rivers we are going to become counterproductive, and we are going to lose families and children."