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Sen. Griffo says GOP spiked Senate bill that would pressure law enforcement officers if they don't follow bail reform bill

Posted 2/14/20

State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, says his Republican minority members in the Senate say they have forced Democrats to withdraw a bill that would have penalized law enforcement officers for …

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Sen. Griffo says GOP spiked Senate bill that would pressure law enforcement officers if they don't follow bail reform bill

Posted

State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, says his Republican minority members in the Senate say they have forced Democrats to withdraw a bill that would have penalized law enforcement officers for attempting to circumvent the controversial bail reform that went into effect at the beginning of the year.

Griffo, the Republicans’ Senate Deputy Minority Leader, said the Democrats’ new bill was withdrawn from consideration due to pressure applied by the Senate Republican Conference and its leadership.

“My colleagues and I in the Senate Republican Conference understand the ongoing concerns that the public and law enforcement officials have regarding New York’s bail reform laws. I have been a vocal opponent of this and other so-called criminal justice ‘reforms’ enacted in the last year,” he said in a statement Wednesday.

“While we continue to face resistance to common sense changes to these laws in an effort to make our communities safer, I am pleased to announce that we have been successful in pushing back against a Senate majority bill, which would have made it a crime for law enforcement officials to attempt to circumvent the bail reform law,” Griffo said.

“Due to our leadership’s strong opposition, this legislation, intended to make criminals of those whose job it is to keep us safe, is in the process of being withdrawn from consideration in the Senate. This bill demonstrates how tone-deaf members of the current majority are to the concerns of law enforcement and the communities they serve, and I am glad that we were able to halt its movement.”

Sen. Griffo represents the 47th Senate District, which includes the towns of Massena, Brasher, Norfolk, Stockholm, Potsdam, Pierrepont, Russell, Clifton, Fine, and Pitcairn in St. Lawrence County, plus Lewis and Oneida counties.

He was appointed Deputy Minority Leader of the Senate in December 2018.