Mayor Domenic J. Sarno cites the continued pressing need for state bail reform legislation.
Mayor Sarno states, “We just lost an 18-year-old young lady who was killed by gun violence – my sympathy thoughts and prayers go out to her family. That someone with an arsenal of weapons has been released back out, not just on our streets, but sent by the court to return to work in our school system as a security guard, is extremely alarming. It is disturbing that a judge would want to lower the high bail requested by DA Gulluni and send this individual back to work with students in our school system after he’s been caught with an arsenal of weapons – it makes no sense. But I’ll tell you what makes sense, is my bail reform legislation, and this situation is a perfect example of why it is needed.”
He explained, “The bail reform legislation, that I continue to advocate for and which continues to be filed repeatedly by State Rep. Angelo Puppolo for several years now, would provide DA Gulluni a vehicle for appealing the low bail to a higher court on behalf of the people. Right now, no such right to appeal a lowered bail exists for the people, but it does for the defendants.”
Mayor Sarno continued, “As I have been saying, the missing piece of the puzzle here is judicial. Judges are not heeding our calls to hold repeat violent criminal offenders, instead they continue to let them back out of court and onto our streets and neighborhoods, and have no problem allowing them into our school system. That is why I continue to call for action from our state legislature on bail reform to even the playing field for the people to request appeals to low bails in situations like this.”
As soon as the School Department was notified about the individual’s arrest, he was immediately placed on administrative leave.