world journal: Ex-City Police challenges Queens Prosecutor: Cracks Down on Street Crime
**The following article has been translated from Mandarin to English, so please excuse any translation errors**
George Grasso , the former second-in-command of the Municipal Police Department and Queens District Judge, will challenge the current Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz in the Democratic primary election on June 27. He ran in Yachao Moe on the 21st The forum stated that it will crack down on street crimes, illegal tobacco shops, etc., and create a new mental health (Mental Health Bureau) department in the local prosecutor's office to handle cases related to suspects suspected of having psychological problems.
Grasso served 22 years at the Metropolitan Police Department. He was promoted to First Deputy Police Commissioner in 2002 and later served as an administrative judge for criminal affairs at the Queens Superior Court. He retired in August 2022 to run for Queens District District Attorney.
Regarding the focus of law enforcement, Grasso said that the local prosecutor's office currently neglects street crimes including assault, drug dealing, fare evasion on buses and subways, and theft, which has led to a surge in theft and assault cases in the past two years. These crimes destroy the life of the community He will crack down on street crime and illegal tobacco shops, working closely with police departments and neighborhoods.
Regarding the current bail law, he said that the bail law is a "false" reform, and Governor Kathy Hocul's amendment to the bail law is completely ineffective, and it is a "false" change. He will vote on it on the first day of taking office. State lawmakers in favor of the law "ask for an explanation." In addition, judges should be allowed to take into account whether a defendant is "dangerous" to the community when weighing bail amounts.
Regarding the mental health crisis in New York, he said that a new mental health department will be created in the District Attorney's Office, and cases related to suspects with mental problems will be transferred to the department for prosecution and handling, so as to meet the mental health needs of the defendant and ensure public safety at the same time.
Regarding his own advantages, he said that Katz successively served as city councilor, state councilor, district mayor, and prosecutor. They all chose different positions because of the term limit. During his tenure, the crime rate in Queens increased significantly, but he had more Sufficient experience in the police department, served as the deputy chief of the police station from 2002 to 2010, and the crime rate has also been proved to have dropped significantly.
Although Grasso is running as a Democrat, he has previously said that if he loses to Katz in the primary, the general election will likely be re-elected as a nonpartisan, and the winner of the primary will face the Republican queen in the general election District Attorney Michael Mossa.
Written by Zheng Yiyan, World Journal
https://www.worldjournal.com/wj/story/121390/7181354
