Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller recently appeared on Fox News, where he discussed the recent rash of repeat offenders and shoplifters, in Yonkers but also across the country, that were emptying the shelves of many retail stores and pharmacies.
The police are doing the best they can but there is an issue about the lack of consequences and a lack of accountability,” said Mueller, appearing on NewsNation Now’s “On Balance” with Leland Vittert, Nov. 26.
“The messaging that we have had from progressive lawmakers is that we should not have any consequences (for committing crimes) and this is what you get. When people feel that there are not going to be negative consequences for their actions, some will say why not and go out and steal. There should be consequences for their actions,” said Mueller.
YPD Commissioner Mueller also recently appeared before the Yonkers City Council to discuss a large number of shoplifting occurring in CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid pharmacies in southwest Yonkers. Mueller told the City Council that the problem was that while police were making shoplifting arrests, those charged were immediately arrested because of bail reform, and they were going out and committing the same crime, shoplifting again and again.
Mueller said that the problem was becoming so serious that seniors were afraid to go to the drug store to get their medications, and others who did go to the story found empty shelves.
On Fox news, Mueller renewed his call for changes to bail reform which would allow judges to punish and send to prison repeat offenders or recidivist persons who commit the same crime again and again.
“In New York there is a willingness to look at some changes to bail reform. If you believe in recidivism, and I do, the vast majority of crime is committed by a small group of people and they deserve to be put in jail.”
Mueller told both Fox News and the Yonkers City Council that in Yonkers, crime is down overall despite the overall number of arrests dropping significantly from 7,000 last year to 3,000 this year. How was this accomplished?
“By arresting and asking for prison time for a small subset of our criminal population. We don’t need to lock up the whole world and mass incarcerate. But if you engage and go after the small subset that get arrested and continue to shoplift at the same store, and never come back for their court date, crime goes down.”
Mueller said that he is working with his fellow Police Commissioners across New York State to propose changing bail reform drastically. “We are asking for an abolishment of all cash bail. We don’t need cash bail. Our founding fathers didn’t intend on rich person staying out of jail while a poor person has to stay in jail.”
“We want to go to a dangerousness metric, where a person is sentenced based on how many times they have been arrested and how many times they fail to appear. If someone is arrested 10 times for shoplifting and never returns for their court date, there should be consequences. If we make these minor modifications, and allow the Judge to have some latitude to consider the criminal history and the number of arrests, then the communities of color, who are suffering the most, will get the help the most,” said Mueller.
To watch Mueller’s video visit,
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=429848225362528
