Suffolk, New York – Senator Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick joined her New York State Senate Republican colleagues, along with Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, District Attorney Ray Tierney, County Clerk Vincent Puleo, local law enforcement, and community leaders to call for passage of S.2282A. The PROTECT Act (Pretrial Risk Overview for Threat Evaluation, Custody, and Treatment), sponsored by Senator Helming. Developed with input from law enforcement, the legislation mandates that judges use a standardized risk assessment tool to determine whether dangerous offenders should be held pretrial or released.

"New York is the only state in the nation in which our duly elected judges cannot consider the dangerousness of the defendant when setting bail. This has resulted in high-risk offenders returning to our neighborhoods and putting families at risk. The PROTECT Act is a responsible solution that would restore accountability and allow law enforcement to remove dangerous criminals from our streets and restore safety to communities across our state," said Senator Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick. 

The PROTECT Act strengthens community safety by ensuring dangerous offenders can be held pretrial, while upholding the principle that no individual should be detained solely because they cannot afford bail.