March 22, 2016
A new NYPD policy went into effect on Monday. Mayor Bill de Blasio, Commissioner Bill Bratton, and Manhattan D.A. Cyrus Vance have announced that those who are accused of certain minor offenses will receive summonses, and will not be arrested. There is, of course, some opposition to the move. Without belaboring the point, the gist of that opposition is the claim that receiving a summons, as opposed to being handcuffed and hauled into jail, will […] Read On
July 15, 2015
In a move that is sure to engender a negative response from some groups, Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced a new policy on bail for certain low-level and non-violent detainees in New York City. This past week, the Mayor said that from this point forward, instead of bail, the suspects would be supervised and in some cases sent to drug counseling, but allowed to remain free even though they would have been unable to […] Read On
April 28, 2015
There are literally thousands of laws and regulations out there prohibiting various types of conduct. Many of the laws relate to serious crimes, such as sexual assault, homicide, and others. But there are a host of criminal offenses that fall on the less serious side of the ledger. Up to now, the policy in the city has been to arrest people for minor violations of the law, including possession of small amounts of marijuana. According […] Read On