Cliffside Park-Edgewater, NJ
Police & Fire
Bergen, Hudson Bail Reform Car Burglar Arrested Yet Again -- 500 Feet From Edgewater Police HQ
Police have nearly lost count of the number of times serial car burglar Isaiah Jones has been released only to strike again in community after community in Bergen and Hudson counties. It happened again Friday night when Edgewater police said they caught Jones entering unlocked vehicles in the parking lot of a River Road shopping center barely 500 feet from their headquarters. The 29-year-old Bayonne resident has become a local bail reform poster boy of sorts. Two weeks ago, Edgewater police arrested Jones for breaking into vehicles at the Viva Margarita Restaurant on Old River Road, across…
Monroe, NY
Police & Fire
Rockland Religious School Serial Burglar Nabbed By Police
A 34-year-old man has been arrested for a string of burglaries at religious schools that took place in Ramapo and Spring Valley. According to the Town of Ramapo Police, Aharon Greenfeld, city unknown, was arrested after the department's investigation division identified him as a suspect and shared the information with area police departments. Based on the information developed by Ramapo police, a Spring Valley Police officer recognized Greenfield in a taxi cab and stopped the cab and arrested the wanted man. In Ramapo, Greenfield was charged with seven counts of burglary, grand larce…
Brentwood, NY
News
301 Suffolk Inmates Released After NY State Bail Reform Takes Effect, Sheriff Says
Hundreds of inmates on Long Island are back on the street due to the state’s new Bail Reform Legislation, which ended cash bail for all misdemeanor and non-violent felony offenders in New York. The new reform, which took effect as of Wednesday, Jan. 1, 301 inmates in Suffolk County were released by the courts, according to the Sheriff’s Office. In the past, those inmates would have been held on bail or bond, depending on the severity of the crime and the inmates’ criminal histories. “Judges used to have some discretion on whether or not an individual should be held on bail,” Sheriff Errol T…
DV Plus - Westchester, NY
Politics
Video
: Democratic Field Widens For Westchester Rep. Nita Lowey's Vacated Congressional Seat
The list of Democrats seeking U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey's congressional seat continues to grow. State Sen. David Carlucci announced his interest in running on Monday, Oct. 21. Carlucci represents part of Westchester and Rockland counties that comprise the 38th Senate District. His announcement can be watched by clicking here or on the photo above. Carlucci,, 38, became the third Democrat to announce his candidacy for the 17th Congressional District this week, a seat that will open up after next year's retirement of Lowey after 31 years in Congress. In Monday's speech about his decision to…
Pound Ridge, NY
Politics
NY Lessens Penalties For Marijuana Possession
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed into law a new bill that will further decriminalize marijuana use in the Empire State. The new legislation will “make enforcement fairer and more equitable by reducing the penalty for unlawful possession of marijuana to a violation punishable by a fine and removing criminal penalties for possession fo any amount of marijuana under two ounces. "Communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by-laws governing marijuana for far too long, and today we are ending this injustice once and for all," Cuomo said in a statement. "By providi…
Beekman-Poughquag, NY
News
Dutchess County Justice & Transition Center Size, Cost To Be Reduced, Molinaro Says
The size and cost of the plans for the Dutchess County Justice & Transition Center have been reduced due to budgetary and legislative changes, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro announced Wednesday, May 22. Officials say the County received agreement from the New York State Commission of Correction (COC) to push back the final design plan approval for the center, citing New York State bail reforms and Dutchess County’s successful diversion programs. The COC agreed to extend the final design approval until the end of the year and consider a redesign intended to “significantly reduce…
Beekman-Poughquag, NY
News
Photos: Dutchess County Sheriff's Office Demolition
The 100-year-old Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office is in the progress of being demolished following the department’s move to a multi-million dollar facility. The building at 150 N. Hamilton Street in Poughkeepsie is being demolished, as members of the Sheriff’s Office move to their new headquarters on Parker Avenue. The Sheriff’s Office headquarters have been relocated to the 56,000-square-foot, $34.2 million Law Enforcement Center on Parker Avenue in Poughkeepsie as of February. To keep some of the spirit of the old historic building alive, the former front doors have been placed …
White Plains, NY
News
New Marijuana Prosecution Policy To Take Effect In Westchester, DA Says
As lawmakers move to legalize recreational marijuana use in New York, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino Jr. announced changes to how lower level marijuana offenses will be prosecuted. Beginning on Monday, Jan. 14, violations for marijuana possession will no longer be prosecuted and misdemeanor possession of marijuana will be prosecuted as violations. Under the new policy, the possession of small amounts (2 ounces or less) of marijuana will no longer result in a criminal conviction negating the collateral damage such a conviction might impose, Scarpino sai…
White Plains, NY
Politics
State AG Candidates Vow To Take On Corruption In Albany At Forum In Westchester
Candidates for Attorney General and state Senate visited the Mediterranean Political Action Committee in Yonkers on Thursday to discuss statewide issues. The election is Nov. 6. Democrat Letitia "Tish" James and Green Party Candidate Michael Sussman spoke at the forum, discussing the criminalizaing of mental illness, criminal justice reform, corruption in Albany, gender and race.Republican Keith Wofford did not attend. "Mental illness should not be a crime, and poverty should not be a crime," James said. Sussman pointed out that 40 elected officials have been prosecu…
White Plains, NY
Business
Westchester Children's Association Welcomes New Executive Director
The Board of Directors of Westchester Children’s Association (WCA) announced the selection of Allison Lake as the organization’s new executive director. Lake’s appointment, which is effective July 1, comes as the result of a lengthy executive search process. She will succeed longtime Executive Director Cora Greenberg, who is retiring. Lake joined the 104-year-old advocacy organization in 1998 as program director and was promoted to deputy director in 2008. As deputy director, Lake oversaw all of WCA’s program initiatives, and also managed a number of core, administrative functions. One of…
Armonk, NY
Politics
Gov. Cuomo Touts Progressive Agenda At State Of State Address
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York was once again the nation's vanguard for social justice at his annual State of the State address Tuesday. The governor's address included proposed criminal justice reform and initiatives to combat the new federal tax reform bill that Cuomo called a federal assault on the state. "The state has made unprecedented progress," Cuomo, who is running for a third term this year, said. "The economy is stronger than ever. Crime is down statewide. We have more high school graduates. We have conserved more land than ever before. We have made histo…
