“On Sunday night, while working his job on Main St. in South Glens Falls, my nephew was the victim of an armed robbery. The robber flashed a small black handgun and demanded money from the register. This is now my second nephew to be victimized in a robbery, as just last year his brother was robbed while working at the Marriott in Queensbury.

“My frustration with the Majority on the issue of crime has reached a boiling point. What more do they need to hear? We have given statistics of crime spikes in every major city statewide, we have given countless examples of victims being targeted by those released on bail reform and their own political ally, Mayor Eric Adams of New York City, has publicly stated the need for fixing our criminal justice system, especially bail reform. I now come to them as a colleague who has had family members put in danger by our soft-on-crime policies.

“I challenge them to put themselves into the shoes of violent crime victims. How do they think my nephew felt when a man was waving a handgun at him and his co-workers demanding money? What if this was their son or daughter? For far too long, policies out of Albany are more advantageous to the offender than the victim and their family.

“We need to adjust bail reform and give judicial discretion back to our judges. This discretion is allowed in the other 49 states, and the Majority can spare me the argument that this discretion causes varied results among offenders. I have faith in our judges and their ability to assess the danger posed by an individual. We must provide more meaningful oversight of the state parole board, which has granted early release for far too many still-dangerous individuals. We must re-instill confidence within our law enforcement community.

“To add insult to injury, we saw meaningful rehabilitative programs like those offered at Moriah Shock get shuttered by the governor last week. Moriah Shock was one of six state facilities the governor closed, sending more inmates to fewer facilities, exacerbating the mass incarceration problem and putting hard-working correctional officers on the unemployment line or on a transfer. 

“To my colleagues in the Majority: we can’t ignore this issue any longer. The crime crisis is here and it is real. Let’s work together to prevent something like this from happening to you and your family.”