With over 43 years of experience in the criminal justice system, Judge Grasso knows that constant, open communication is vital to ensure that the system runs properly and victims of crime get justice. Unfortunately, present day realities in the Queens DA's Office mean that confusion, miscommunication, and a lack of transparency compounds the trauma endured by crime victims and their families. When elected, Judge Grasso will solve this problem by creating a Victim Liaison Unit. The primary purpose of this unit will be to serve victims by providing case updates, guiding them through the criminal justice process, and assuring communication between the victim and the assigned prosecutor. While Judge Grasso fully supports the Conviction Integrity Unit, he knows it is vital that victims of crime and their families receive real time information and updates regarding their cases, especially homicide and sexual assault/abuse cases.

Judge Grasso’s time patrolling the streets as a young police officer reinforced the notion that every New Yorker has a right to feel safe in their neighborhoods. Enforcement of offenses that reduce quality of life, which left unaddressed, lead to more serious crime and disorder, is essential. Judge Grasso understands this and will prioritize repeat offenders who wreak havoc on Queens residents through drug dealing, assault, theft, auto theft, shoplifting, trespassing, harassment, and destruction/defacing of property. Due to lack of an effective enforcement strategy, crime is exploding in certain neighborhoods in Queens. For example, current NYPD data indicates that Flushing is experiencing drastic increases in Index Crime over the past two years, with a 125% increase in robbery, a 148% increase in felony assault, a 122% increase in grand larceny, and a 158% increase in grand larceny auto. Judge Grasso will focus on all of these offenses to ensure that people are safe and defendants who repeatedly violate the law are held accountable.

Judge Grasso will seek to restore the credibility of problem solving courts so that people with mental health and substance abuse issues can be diverted to life-saving programs before facing lengthy prison sentences and cycling through the criminal justice system. With more leverage, Judge Grasso knows that he can save lives by surrounding struggling New Yorkers with a team of service providers with expertise in mental health and substance abuse.

When there is no respect for rule of law, people are more likely to carry, and use, guns. Prevention and accountability in the criminal justice system are the remedy to rising rates of gun violence in our borough. Judge Grasso knows that in order to reduce shooting incidents and lives lost, credibility of the court needs to be restored and recidivists need to be confronted. People who are arrested for carrying illegal guns should expect to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Judge Grasso will work tirelessly with law enforcement partners and the NYPD to crack down on interstate gun smuggling. Judge Grasso knows that proactive policing will deter individuals from carrying guns on Queens streets.

Queens is the World’s Borough. The diversity of languages, faiths, racial/ethnic groups, and sexuality is what makes Queens special. Spiking increases in hate crimes threaten the fabric of the diverse makeup of Queens. As DA, Judge Grasso will ensure that those who prey on individuals based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation, such as our Jewish, Asian-American, Black, and LGBTQIA+ neighbors, will be held fully accountable. It is a correlating factor that many of these crimes are committed by individuals who have serious mental health issues and have extensive criminal records. By restoring quality of life enforcement, proactively fighting recidivism, and creating a Mental Health Bureau, Judge Grasso will restore accountability to the criminal justice system and work to prevent hate crimes before they occur.

Judge Grasso was responsible for youth diversion programs, saving many minors from being sent to Rikers and dramatically reducing recidivism. He conceived Project Reset, which offered counseling programs designed to prevent future arrests to teenage offenders charged with nonviolent misdemeanors. Judge Grasso also conceived and created DAT-Y, which utilized collaborative justice to give youthful defendants programming designed to prevent further criminal activity, and OAR (Overdose Avoidance and Recovery) Court, a special court part for defendants at high risk of drug overdose. As DA, he will promote the same empathy and common sense strategies by fighting to increase the leverage of the court to make restorative justice programs more efficient.

Tragically, there has been a significant rise in violence among teenagers, both offenders and victims, in NYC. Having worked with minors in the criminal justice system, Judge Grasso knows firsthand that accountability and discretion are critical in keeping at-risk teenagers on track. Judge Grasso will advocate for the State Legislature to conduct a comprehensive review of the “Raise the Age” Law. Raise the Age is laudably designed to protect 16 and 17 year old offenders from criminal records negatively impacting their futures. However, the State Legislature must also ensure that Raise the Age, through amendments if necessary, protects teens, and the public at large, from violence, recidivism, and unsafe neighborhoods.

Judge Grasso, having been in the criminal justice system for decades, is keenly aware of the corrosive multi-generational effect that domestic violence has on families. It will be made clear in Queens that domestic violence will not be tolerated. Individuals charged with domestic violence, including violations of Orders of Protection, will be held fully accountable. Judge Grasso is also aware of the importance of the court's leverage, and will utilize that leverage proactively with appropriate programming to ensure that those who are engaging in domestic violence will face incarceration to the appropriate extent and are made aware of the damaging effects of this type of repetitive activity on families and victims. Furthermore, Judge Grasso will ensure that substantial support systems are in place for domestic violence victims and their families, including counseling, case management, and economic empowerment.

Small businesses, like bodegas, local restaurants, and family-owned shops, are the foundation of our Queens’ economy. When quality of life enforcement is undermined and public safety diminishes, small businesses are robbed, burglarized, and trespassed, which can unfortunately lead to their closure. As DA, Judge Grasso will establish a defined small business outreach unit, which will report to his office and help to assess where the problems are the most prominent. Small businesses will have access to the DA’s office and small business owners will know that violations of law in/around their properties/establishments will not be tolerated. Judge Grasso’s approach to protecting Queens’ small businesses goes hand in hand with quality of life enforcement.

Queens residents should be able to ride the subway and the bus without fear. Bus drivers, subway workers, and train conductors should also be able to do their work without worrying about becoming crime victims. Rampant fare evasion on public transportation is correlated with high rates of crime, ranging from minor crimes to serious violent offenses. Therefore, as DA, Judge Grasso will ensure that individuals who are repetitive fare evaders and engage in aggressive harassment towards straphangers will be held accountable and that law enforcement action is taken. Additionally, individuals who harass and prey on transportation workers should expect a swift criminal justice response, including incarceration.

Over the course of 2022, fentanyl was responsible for far too many deaths in NYC. Fentanyl has been linked to opioids, heroin, cocaine, and even marijuana. It is essential that those who deal and traffic fentanyl be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Judge Grasso will work in partnership with the NYPD, federal agencies, and state government to use all tools at his disposal to interrupt trafficking networks and hold those who traffic responsible by prosecuting them to the fullest extent of the law and when convicted, pursuing sentences involving lengthy incarceration. Additionally, Judge Grasso will utilize the leverage of the court to assist individuals who come into the criminal justice system and present themselves at high risk of fentanyl overdose and provide them with life-saving treatment and support.

As a former law enforcement executive and judge, Grasso is well aware of the importance of the criminal justice system being fair in practice and reality. Nothing undermines the integrity of our system more than convictions that are obtained through unlawful means. Therefore, as DA, he will fully support the conviction integrity unit and enhance the resources available to it. Judge Grasso will also ensure that appropriate reviews are made on a continual basis with respect to convictions obtained by the Queens DA’s office. When credible information is received that convictions may have been obtained unlawfully, Judge Grasso will ensure that the appropriate action is taken to investigate these manners, and when appropriate, move forward to the court to vacate those convictions.

Judge Grasso recognizes that human trafficking is a scourge in Queens. Individuals, often men, profiting off of the exploitation of young women, are a threat to economic independence, especially for women, everywhere. Former Queens DA Judge Richard Brown paved the way in utilizing the New York Sex Trafficking statute to its fullest extent. According to 2017 public reporting, the Queens District Attorney’s Office under DA Brown had one-third of the human trafficking convictions in the state. Judge Grasso will follow the lead of DA Brown and continue to ensure that the DA’s office maintains the highest priority in developing and prosecuting human trafficking cases.

Queens’ children and seniors are among the most vulnerable members of our community. Too young or old to defend themselves from abuse or neglect, children and seniors find themselves in particularly challenging positions when victimized. Judge Grasso will work with community organizations to disseminate information related to the identification of child and elder abuse. He will also relentlessly work to bring these vulnerable members of society a sense of justice through thorough investigation and prosecution of these offenses, including heightened sensitivity and training when interviewing victims.

Animals are to be nurtured and cared for, not abused. The neglect or abuse of any animal in Queens will not be tolerated, as animals are voiceless victims. Breeding animals for fighting, neglecting to feed them, and keeping them outdoors in unsafe conditions are just a few of the ways animals are victimized. Judge Grasso will ensure that animal welfare is taken seriously by fully supporting the Animal Cruelty Prosecutions Unit, implemented by DA Brown. He will work to enhance the unit with proper ADA staffing and appropriate resources, so that investigations and prosecutions are carried out efficiently and effectively.