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His progressive ideology is nothing to Bragg about.
The city’s four other district attorneys are hardly singing the praises of the soft-on-crime prosecutorial policies laid out this week by newly minted Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg.
“Holding dangerous, violent offenders accountable must always be a top priority of my office,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a first-person piece in the Queens Daily Eagle.
“We respect the perspective and experience Alvin Bragg brings to his role of Manhattan District Attorney. Since DA Katz took office in January 2020, she has made – and will continue to make – her own changes to break the cycle of crime and incarceration that plagues too many Queens communities, while holding accountable drivers of crime,” a Katz spokesman said.
The 48-year-old Bragg outlined in a now-infamous memo to his staff that they should try to keep as many criminals out of prison and reduce charges whenever possible.
Among the perp perks in the Bragg policies: If convicted criminals are caught with weapons other than guns, the felony charges must be downgraded to misdemeanors — unless they’re also charged with more serious offenses.
Unlike the Bragg blueprint, Bronx DA Darcel Clark gives supervising ADAs the discretion in charging certain offenses “in the interest of public safety.”
In her 2020 “A Safer Bronx Through Fair Justice” policy, Clark noted her office “will continue to treat incidences of violent crime with the utmost seriousness and will do everything possible to protect the people of the Bronx from violent criminals.”
Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon blasted Bragg, telling The Post this week that his policies “roll out the welcome mat for would-be criminals to commit serious offenses without ever facing any consequences..”
In Brooklyn, DA Eric Gonzalez “believes that every case must receive individualized decision making.” Asked to comment on Bragg’s policies, a spokesman for the office offered a diplomatic, “We look forward to collaborating with DA Bragg on enhancing fairness and safety across our city.”
In a series of Jan. 5 tweets from his @ManhattanDA account, Bragg addressed the backlash: “Safety is paramount. New Yorkers deserve to be safe from crime and safe from the dangers posed by mass incarceration. We will be tough when we need to be, but we will not be seeking to destroy lives through unnecessary incarceration.”
Bragg’s policies “send the wrong message” to criminals, said Michael Alcazar, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and former NYPD detective
“Bragg seems to be more concerned for the welfare of the criminal rather than the victims or our society. When a crime is committed, the punishment must be swift,” Alcazar said. “If the DA is only looking to incarcerate for the most serious crimes then the criminal will be released and free to commit more crimes. Yes, because that’s what criminals do!”
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