When I was elected, I promised the people of Long Island that I would work to keep our communities safe, restore law and order, and protect our heroes in law enforcement. Now more than ever, it is important that we support our brave men and women in law enforcement, ensure they have the resources needed to combat rising crime and keep our communities safe, and oppose all efforts to defund the police.
It is no coincidence that we are experiencing rising crime, murder rates, and spikes in violence across major cities in the United States. Not only that, but our homeland security is also being jeopardized. Police departments are not being given sufficient resources for counterterrorism operations. New York City has 500 fewer detectives this year because of budget constraints, resulting in higher crime and slower response times. I am vehemently opposed to New York’s bail reform policies which have resulted in 50% of criminals who were arrested for shooting someone being put back on the streets, according to officials. In August, I held a roundtable with members of the Nassau, Suffolk, and NYC law enforcement community to hear directly from officers on the front lines and throughout my time in congress I have stood unwavering in my support of our men and women in blue. We must do more to empower our law enforcement community and combat rising crime.