Bail reform: Arrests and re-arrests dropped during lockdown

A week before the end of the third quarter, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran  filed the second- quarter county bail-reform crime report.

That's the report that counts the number of arrests,  releases without bail and re-arrests in Nassau from April 1 through June 30. The first quarter report was issued in late June.

A day earlier, this blog had submitted a Freedom of Information request to the legislative clerk for the second quarter report, but was told on Wednesday to wait 20 days. 

On Wednesday evening, coincidentally, Curran emailed legislators the arrest numbers with the promise to file the official second quarter report on Thursday.

Although New York City has reported a spike in shootings and assaults after the Democratic-controlled state legislature approved bail reform laws that took effect Jan. 1,  Nassau's major crimes have dropped during that period. (see earlier blog)

The new bail reform laws call for most alleged law breakers to be released without bail.  The county legislature voted this spring, before the state pandemic lockdown, to receive reports on the results of bail reform.

The lockdown imposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in late March appears to have kept many alleged lawbreakers at home.

The number of arrests in Nassau during the second quarter dropped more than 50 percent from the first three months of this year.

Even fewer alleged lawbreakers were rearrested, the report shows.

From January through March, Nassau police made 3,497 arrests, 3,010 of those charged were released without bail and 295 were re-arrested.

That's a near 10 percent re-arrest rate.

From April through June, Nassau police made 1,541 arrests, with 1,257 released without bail, and 93 re-arrested.

That's about a 7.4 percent re-arrest rate.

The kind of alleged crimes committed also changed.

The highest number of arrests in the first quarter (450 arrests) for people then released without bail were for controlled substances offenses. Larceny --- thefts of property worth less than $1,000 -- was the top charge during the second quarter for people released without bail (253 arrested).

Not too surprisingly, given the outbreaks of rage that have occurred nationwide during the lockdown, the next highest number of charges in the second quarter for people then released without bail were for assault and related offenses. Police report 134 people were charged with assault and related offenses from April through June and then released without bail compared to 39 in the first three months of this year.

One of the top ten charges in the second quarter -- which didn't even make the top ten list in the first quarter -- were people arrested and then released for offenses against public order: 38 arrests. Presumably this relates to protests that occurred after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.

Year to date the top charge against alleged lawbreakers released on bail and then rearrested has been larceny followed by controlled substance offenses.

The county slowly began reopening in June, just in time for the third quarter, which runs from July through Sept.

Chances are the third quarter crime report won't be released until late November -- after the Nov. 3 elections. All of Long Island's Democrat senators voted for bail reform. All are up for re-election in November.