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As she presided over the graduation of 238 new members of the New York State Police, Gov. Kathy Hochul urged them to be part of an effort to restore trust. <\/p>\n
“There’s a lot of mistrust between communities and law enforcement,” he said. “You are the individuals who will break down these barriers.”<\/p>\n
Her appearance at the graduation ceremony comes more than a month after Hochul was able to get much of what she wanted on what has been a hot political issue for her and her fellow Democrats in New York. Public safety has been a top issue for voters along with the cost of living, and the issue dominated the gubernatorial campaign last year. <\/p>\n
In May, state lawmakers and Hochul agreed to a $229 billion budget that included adding more than $66 million to increase the number of classes at the state police academy and increase the number of troopers involved in investigations of serious crimes. <\/p>\n
There was also more money to implement changes to discovery law, as well as a reduction in the state’s controversial cashless bail to give judges more discretion in some criminal cases. <\/p>\n
Hochul had previously won changes to the budget the year before the bond bill, but the issue remained an intense focus for Republicans in 2022. <\/p>\n
This year, Hochul will consider whether to sign a bill to automatically seal about 2 million criminal records, with sex crimes and felonies excluded. <\/p>\n