Timely: Cuomo gets 'bail reform', NY City looters freed

FPI / June 4, 2020

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's newly enacted "bail reform" policy ensured that some 400 people who engaged in the destruction of New York City in recent days were released from jail.

Those arrested for looting are likely to be charged with 3rd-degree burglary of a commercial building, a class D felony. Cuomo's law no longer requires those suspects to pay any bail in order to be released from police custody.

The New York Times noted that more than 400 people in New York City have been arrested for looting commercial businesses. Almost all of them would likely be released from jail immediately after their arraignments in court.

The bail reform law was implemented at the beginning of this year. It eliminated bail for a number of nonviolent and violent crimes, including second-degree manslaughter, aggravated vehicular assault, third-degree assault, promoting an obscene sexual performance by a child, criminally negligent homicide, aggravated vehicular homicide, and about 100 other crimes.

In March, New York City Police Department (NYPD) officials said that in the first 58 days of the year, close to 500 suspects who would have been kept locked up if not for the new bail reform laws had been rearrested for committing an additional 846 crimes. Those crimes included murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny, and grand larceny auto.

Meanwhile, Chicago media reported that 132 police officers were injured in rioting in the city over the weekend. There were also 48 shootings and 17 homicides, CBS Chicago reported.

In one 24-hour period, Chicago's 911 center took more than 65,000 calls, mostly for looting. That is about 50,000 more calls than average, WLS reported.

Police who responded to the looting and the rioting made 699 arrests on Sunday, primarily for looting.

“We will rebuild and the city of Chicago, government will lead those rebuilding efforts,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. “We are not going to leave our neighborhoods behind. That will not happen on my watch.”

Lightfoot added that residents should not take matters into their own hands to stop looters, and to call the police instead.

Free Press International