GOSHEN – The Orange County Legislature, Thursday, went on record calling for the state to either amend or delay implementation of the bail reform and discovery reform law set to take effect on January 1.
The new discovery law will require law enforcement to produce all evidence in 15 days, a timeframe that police and district attorneys says is virtually impossible to do.
That point was noted by County Legislator Thomas Faggione. “In the last 24 hours in Orange County, there was a double shooting in the eastern edge of Orange County. In the center of Orange County, sadly there was a murder and in the western edge of Orange County last night there was a vehicular assault. In all three of these crimes, there is a great deal of data that needs to be processed by our law enforcement agencies,” he said.
And that cannot be accomplished in just 15 days, Faggione said.
Legislature Chairman Stephen Brescia said the ramifications of the law were not taken into consideration. “Most, if not all of us, agree that there needs to be bail reform, but not in the haphazard fashion that this was handed down,” he said. “We have had to add four ADAs and the district attorney wanted triple that amount. The sheriff’s office has told us what the impacts will be there. Probation, we have put money in contingency for the impacts that will be forthcoming.”
Legislator Joel Sierra cast the sole vote against the memorializing resolution. He said the reforms adopted in Albany are a good first step and that modifications could come later.
