A New York City police chief on Sunday called for the repeal of bail reform laws that allow criminals with minor offenses to go free.
Speaking to WABC Radio correspondent John Katsimatidis on Sunday, Police Commissioner Kichant Sewell said: “I think the criminal justice reform law that goes into effect in 2020 is definitely part of the mindset that needs to change.
“We can keep most of the important elements of reform, but there are absolutely some things that need to be adjusted,” she explained the 2019 bail reform laws, which were repealed in 2020, to add to the list of crimes that can be set for bail.
Sewell also appeared to denounce the decriminalization of crimes against quality of life, such as jumping over turnstiles in subway stations, using marijuana, and drinking in public places.
“There are entire categories of serious crimes for which we can no longer make arrests,” Sewall told Catsimatidis. We can only issue a summons.
“We have been cautious in the past. Now we don’t even have that,” she said.
She further added: “There are whole categories of crimes for which we can make an arrest, but judges are prohibited from ever setting bail, even if the same robber or car thief commits the same crime every day and ends up in front of the same judge.
“They used to have that kind of freedom of action, and in many cases we don’t have it anymore.”
Sewell’s comments come amid a weekend filled with assault cases in the Big Apple, as the NYPD says the city’s crime rate rose nearly 60 percent in February from the same period a year earlier.
NYPD Commissioner Calls for Repeal of NYC Bail Reform Laws
During February, the NYPD reported a 58.7% increase in total crimes. The latest data showed 9,138 incidents, up from 5,759 in 2021 — with double-digit growth in almost all major categories.
The city’s latest crime figures show there were 9,138 incidents in February, compared to 5,759 in the same period in 2021, with double-digit spikes in nearly every major category.
There were 32 murders in February, three more than in the same month last year.
Many other categories saw a shocking jump, including car theft, which rose nearly 105 percent; grand theft, which jumped nearly 80 percent from the previous year; robberies, which rose by 56 percent; A 44 percent increase in burglaries and a 22 percent surge in assaults. Rape also rose by a staggering 35 percent in February.
But the crime wave is not going to stop.
On Thursday, during an unprovoked attack in Manhattan, an 87-year-old Broadway vocal coach was thrown onto the sidewalk and seriously injured.
Barbara Mayer Gastern, who once coached Blondie singer Debbie Harry, was pushed from behind in front of her building at West 28th Street and Eighth Avenue in Chelsea at 8:30 pm that night.
She was conscious when paramedics arrived, but managed to tell the police that another woman had attacked her.
Soon her condition deteriorated sharply, according to Daily News.
According to police, she suffered serious head injuries and is still in critical condition.
Barbara Mayer Gastern, who once coached Blondie singer Debbie Harry, was pushed from behind in front of her Chelsea building and suffered serious head injuries.
Police describe the suspect as a red-haired woman wearing a black jacket, black leggings, a white skirt and dark shoes.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, a 60-year-old crazed man jumped over a counter and brutally stabbed two employees of the Museum of Modern Art after his membership was revoked.
Police say 60-year-old Gary Cabana jumped onto the table with a knife, stabbed the victim’s back and collarbones, and then ran away.
Gary Cabana, 60, is wanted by the police for yesterday’s attack on the Museum of Modern Art. he’s on the run
Two employees – a man and a woman – survived and were taken to the hospital. The boar, who has gray hair and thick-rimmed reading glasses, is now on the loose.
The police are still looking for him.
Cabana’s address is listed as The Times Square, a charity building at 255 West 43rd Street for former homeless or mentally ill people.
It’s unclear what kind of MoMa membership he had and why he specifically targeted two employees who are now recuperating at a local hospital.
Police said one of the employees was a 24-year-old woman who was being treated for stab wounds to her lower back and one stab wound to the back of her head. Another was wounded in the collarbone.
CCTV footage captured the moment Cabana stabbed two MoMa employees after climbing over the museum’s reception desk to attack them.
One of the victims of the stab wounds was a 24-year-old woman who worked at the front desk.
Despite her injuries, the woman joked about being paid for working in dangerous conditions after she was stabbed in her back and neck.
Police are also offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who helps them catch the “cold-blooded” killer who shot dead two homeless people the day before, killing one, in two horrific attacks.
One of the victims died from a gunshot wound to the head and neck at 148 Rue Lafayette, opposite the exclusive and expensive 11 Howard Hotel, at 6 am. It took the police 12 hours to realize he was dead and remove his bullet-riddled body from the bright yellow sleeping bag he was in.
At 4:30 am, the killer shot another homeless man in nearby King Street in the arm. The victim survived and was taken to the hospital.
In the Lafayette Street murder, the suspect was filmed in chilling surveillance footage wearing a black ski mask and black clothing. It has been seen prodding a helpless victim and looking around before firing the fatal shot.
Yesterday, in an urgent appeal, Mayor Eric Adams said: “Homelessness is turning into murder. We need to find this man, and we need the help of New Yorkers. It’s cold-blooded murder.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the NYPD Crime Prevention Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or Spanish at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging into the Crime Stoppers website.
During the first attack, the 38-year-old victim was sleeping on King Street, between Varik Street and Sixth Avenue, when the shooter approached him at 5 am. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital and is expected to survive.
When the shooter fired at him, he woke up and yelled, “What the hell are you doing?” according to the police. The age of the second victim is unknown, but police described him as Hispanic.
The video shows a suspect, wanted in two attacks on homeless people, walking up to one of them, kicking him several times before drawing his gun and firing.
Mayor Eric Adams vowed to curb the rise in crime in the city and urged Albany legislators to review bail reform laws.
A wave of crime occurred in the first few months of Adams’s tenure. The former NYC cop has vowed to stem the tide of incidents on the city’s streets and subway system, which has seen a slew of violent incidents in recent weeks.
Previously, he recently pleaded with lawmakers in Albany to revise a controversial bail reform bill that would allow judges to assess whether a person is dangerous before releasing them from prison.
But the Democratic Party leadership repeatedly denied the mayor’s request and said it would not act to change the law, according to the New York Post.
Adams said he wants to see changes to bail reform laws and other criminal justice measures, arguing that they will lower the city’s crime rate and reduce gun violence.
In February, Adams, who campaigned last year to get people back to work amid the COVID pandemic and clean up the crime-ridden subway system, outlined his plans for the city’s bail laws that could allow suspects to roam the streets frequently during arrest hours. .
“Let’s get rid of the bail system because you can’t get out of jail just because you can bail. Let’s take this away. The judges should review the case in front of them and say, “This man has two arrests with a firearm, and he constantly tells the townspeople that I don’t care about your safety,” the mayor said.
“This judge should have the right to decide whether to detain this person.”