Senator Daphne Jordan and Senate Republicans: Protect Those Who Protect Us

ALBANY, NY -- Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt, along with Senator Daphne Jordan, and members of the Senate Republican Conference today unveiled a package to protect and honor the brave members of law enforcement all across New York, and safeguard law-abiding New Yorkers against the disastrous results of One-Party Rule’s criminal justice “reforms.” David Bartlett, Columbia County Sheriff and President of the New York State Sheriffs’ Association, was in attendance and spoke during today's press conference in Albany.

“Since 2019, it’s been clear to most New Yorkers that the scales of justice in our state have tipped heavily in favor of violent criminals -- and at the expense of our courageous law enforcement, as well as the men and women they are sworn to protect and serve. Bail reform has been a disaster. Our police are under constant attack. Murders and other violent crimes in many of our big cities have gone through the roof. It is time to halt this madness and get back to the basics of public safety, and that begins with protecting those who protect us. I’m proud to stand beside my colleagues in support of the first of our initiatives to restore common-sense and public safety in New York,” said Leader Ortt.

“Whether it’s disturbing increases in felony assaults, robberies, and shootings, or 70 percent of New Yorkers being rightly concerned about their safety, the verdict is in concerning the Senate Democratic Majority’s so-called criminal justice reforms: guilty! Their policies are guilty of recklessly endangering the lives of New Yorkers and making our state less safe. One-Party Rule and the Senate Democrats’ ‘no criminal left behind’ agenda is dangerous, irresponsible, and foolishly undone decades of real progress in reducing violent crime, especially in New York City that’s been engulfed in a wave of violence. Instead of promoting criminal-coddling policies, as well as disrespecting and defunding our police, Democrats should follow our lead and stand with law enforcement. To every police officer across our state, the Senate Republican Conference has your back, during National Police Week, and every week, as evidenced by our ‘Protect Those Who Protect Us’ agenda. We appreciate, respect, and support the brave men and women of law enforcement who protect and serve all New Yorkers,” said Senator Daphne Jordan.

“It is nearly impossible to overstate the critical importance of strong public support for law enforcement and how public trust helps us do our job of serving and protecting all New Yorkers. Law enforcement is difficult, demanding, often dangerous work. I can say for a fact that the men and women who wear the uniform do so proudly, believe deeply in public safety, and recognize the importance of public service and making our state safer and more secure for everyone. The appreciation and thanks we receive, and recognition of the importance of respect for the law and those who help preserve public safety, makes all the difference to our profession. I appreciate Senator Jordan, and the Senate Republican Conference’s continued efforts in advancing common-sense legislation to protect the safety of law enforcement members, enhance the public safety of all New Yorkers, and roll-back the disastrous bail 'reform' law that has been an abysmal failure,” said David Bartlett, Columbia County Sheriff and President of the New York State Sheriffs’ Association.

Keynotes of the legislative package to “Protect Those Who Protect Us” in New York include:

• S2561 (Jordan), which would strengthen the penalties for assaulting a police officer.
• S3208 (Ortt), which would strengthen penalties for causing a police officer to come into contact with foreign substances or objects, such as bottles, flammable liquids, etc.
• S3463 (Gallivan), which would make it a crime to dox a police or peace officer simply because of their profession and with the intent to threaten or intimidate that police or peace officer.
• S3465 (Gallivan), which would make it a crime to falsely accuse a police or peace officer of wrongdoing in the performance of their duties. This is necessary because of the repeal of Section 50-A, and would protect law enforcement against unfounded or unsubstantiated claims.
• A proposal by Senator Alexis Weik to Defund Municipalities that Defund the Police Act. The Director of the Division of Budget would withhold state funding to a municipality that abolishes, disbands or significantly reduces its police department. The amount of state money withheld would correspond with the percentage reduction in a police department’s budget by the municipality.

In New York City, violent crime has risen at an alarming rate over the past year, with the most recent report by the NYPD showing that overall index crime rose by 30.4 percent compared to April 2020. This rapid increase in crime was driven in part by a 35.6 percent increase in felony assault, a 28.6 percent increase in robbery, and a 166.1 percent increase in shooting incidents.

According to a recent State of Safety in America report by Safewise, New York is the “most worried about safety” state in the nation, with 70 percent of New Yorkers reporting that they are “concerned daily” about their safety. In addition, only 40 percent of New Yorkers feel safe in their everyday lives, while 78 percent think crime is increasing.

These alarming statistics follow the implementation of Democrat bail reform and discovery reform since 2019, as well as the disbanding of the NYPD’s “anti-crime” unit and $1 billion cut to New York City police funding.

Today’s legislative package also includes:

• S1917 (Akshar) – Hate Crime against a Police Officer – Makes a crime committed against a police officer because of their status as a police officer, a hate crime.
• S2034 (Akshar) – Disability and Death Benefit – Provides a $500,000 benefit for police officers who are seriously disabled or die from injuries incurred in the line of duty.
• S2226 (Helming) – Stalking a Police/Peace Officer – Makes it a class E Felony to stalk a police or peace officer, and makes the crime of stalking a police or peace officer eligible for bail.
• S3464 (Gallivan) – Failure to Retreat – Makes it a class D Felony for any person to approach or remain within 25 feet of a police officer engaged in the performance of their duties when they are ordered by an officer and they fail to do so.
• S6231 (Lanza) – Resisting Arrest - Enhances the penalty resisting arrest from a class A misdemeanor to a class E Felony. Adds resisting arrest to the list of E Felonies where a police officer may arrest someone, instead of being required to issue an appearance ticket.
• S6285 (Serino) – Police Memorial Day -  Establishes May 15th as Police Memorial Day in New York State. Requires the Governor to appear in person at the fitting ceremony at the Police Memorial Wall and to read, out loud, the names of the police officers who died during the previous year from injuries incurred in the line of duty.
• S6286 (Serino) – Unfounded and unsubstantiated complaints against first responders; This is necessary because of the repeal of Section 50-A, and would prohibit the disclosure of personnel records with regard to unsubstantiated or unfounded complaints made against first responders.

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