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Hochul defends bail reform changes, touts public safety record

The Lieutenant Governor responds to criticism over New York's new bail reform law.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — New York's sweeping criminal justice reforms went into effect just over two weeks ago and there's already pressure to make changes again.

GOP leaders and members of law enforcement were some of the first to express their concerns but that opposition is growing.

The change getting perhaps the largest push back is the elimination of cash bail for most crimes. 

Now several state law makers from both sides say the law should be amended.

We asked Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul about this.

"The governor has already said that there could be changes to this and that this is being considered at the very highest levels," Hochul told 2 On Your Side. "As you mentioned, the legislature just got back and so these conversations are going on right now."

Hochul still defends the reason behind the changes, saying the old system was unbalanced and favored the rich.

"You waited in jail because you could not post bail because you were poor," she said. "The same offense, the exact same severity, you could be out free if you or your family had money to post bail. That was fundamentally unfair."

However, those opposed say the lengthy list of crimes under the elimination of cash bail umbrella need to be revisited. 

State Senator Pat Gallivan told reporters, "One of the cases that I'm holding up here is vehicular manslaughter. Somebody driving a car drunk repeatedly. Had a prior conviction, killed somebody -- appearance ticket. Now, if they had a prior conviction and they're drinking and driving again, they're a danger to the community. That's not fair to the rest of us."

Hochul writes off some of the opposition "partisan rhetoric" but admits there are communities with concerns that should be listened to.

"We're gonna filter through all that, take a breath, and take a look at that law," Hochul said.

We asked Hochul if there any changes specifically she thinks need to be addressed when it comes to the bail reform law.

"The governor has said we want to make sure that no one who has committed a violent crime is out on the streets. Let's start with that," she said.

Hochul added, "No administration has done more than ours to protect public safety. We stand behind that, and we're gonna continue to do that."

RELATED: New York Republicans call for complete removal of bail reform law

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