the new york law journal: 'The Wheels Are Coming Off': Retired Judge George Grasso Sees Rising Crime as Catalyst for Challenging Queens DA

Four years ago, when George Grasso last considered running for top law enforcement official of his home borough of Queens as it became clear that longtime District Attorney Richard Brown would not seek an eighth term, New York City was a different place.

Crime rates had reached historic lows and criminal justice system reformers’ hopes for change were riding high.

Grasso didn’t end up in the 2019 Democratic primary to succeed Brown, which resulted in Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz squeaking out a razor-thin win against Tiffany Cabán, a public defender and political upstart who was backed by the Democratic Socialists of America.

Now Katz is up for reelection next year as crime rates have been on the rise throughout the city, with critics laying blame at the feet—warranted or not—of the criminal justice reforms approved in Albany the same year she was voted into office.

“I think the wheels are coming off,” Grasso told the Law Journal in an interview on Tuesday. “The crime wave we’re seeing now is, I believe in many respects, an artificially created crime wave.”

Grasso has announced that he is challenging Katz in next year’s Democratic primary for her seat, with the retired judge and 22-year veteran of the New York City Police Department establishing himself as a candidate who would take a firmer stance on crime if he were to become district attorney of New York City’s second-most populous borough.

“I believe that the New York State Legislature, the Senate and the governor made a very dramatic miscalculation when they rammed through this legislation—this sweeping legislation—through a budget process in 2019,” Grasso said, referring to controversial laws passed that year limiting judges’ authority to set bail for misdemeanor and low-level felony offenses.

Long before he publicly expressed his interest in running for Queens DA when the office last opened up, Grasso’s star was on the rise in the state court system and in city political circles, often attracting headlines by being credited as an architect of numerous programs designed to increase court efficiency or develop nuanced approaches to dealing with drug offenders facing criminal offenses.

Just less than a decade ago, Grasso spearheaded the data-driven “CourtStat” system that aimed to drive down the times between arrests and arraignments.

In 2017, Grasso was named supervising judge of the Bronx Criminal Court, where he collaborated with Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark to establish a drug-addiction recovery court that worked with defendants facing narcotics charges who could also benefit from treatment.

Up until this past August, Grasso was administrative judge for criminal matters in Queens and, not long after taking the post, was tapped by then-Chief Judge Janet DiFiore to lead an initiative to clear gun cases clogging up New York City’s courts.

After Grasso stepped down from that position, he did not make his future plans clear, nor did he respond to inquiries from the Law Journal left over recent weeks about what may be next in his legal career.

In his interview on Tuesday, Grasso said he gave up his spot on the bench as a “price of admission” to “say what needs to be said” to “turn the system around.”

When asked what he would do differently than Katz to address rising crime in her jurisdiction, Grasso said he would sound the alarm about the increase louder than she has, as well as taking the Democratic-led Legislature to task over laws that he says are diminishing public safety.

“If someone wants to be DA, they have to call these issues out, and not make oblique statements every now and then,” Grasso said. “They have to figure out a way using the laws currently at their disposal and the tools at their disposal, to be able to ensure that there is a level of accountability.”

In response to Grasso’s comments about his potential political opponent, Katz campaign spokesperson Max Kramer confirmed that Katz plans to run for reelection next year and said the DA is “focused on protecting the residents of Queens.”

“She’s led an office that’s centered on fairness, safety, and she’s been a steady hand in turbulent times,” Kramer said.

Written by Andrew Denney, The New York Law Journal

https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2022/10/11/the-wheels-are-coming-off-retired-judge-george-grasso-sees-rising-crime-as-catalyst-for-challenging-queens-da/