(MINEOLA, N.Y.) – At 2 p.m. today (Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021), the Nassau County Legislature’s Public Safety committee will hold a public hearing on the topic of criminal justice reform. Prior to the meeting, Nassau County Legislature Minority Leader Kevan M. Abrahams (D – Freeport) issued this statement.
“The Minority Caucus remains unified in its commitment to achieving the comprehensive, community-driven police reform mandated by New York State Executive Order 203-20.
As part of this ongoing process, we take seriously our duty as leaders to solicit robust public participation from residents and local stakeholders. We hope that this public hearing will be a productive step forward in our efforts to ensure their feedback is reflected in the reform plan that is presented to the Legislature for approval this spring.
While we are pleased that the Majority heeded our request to hold this public hearing, we believe that greater advance public notice is necessary in order to achieve the level of dialogue we are seeking to facilitate. We will therefore be seeking additional public hearings prior to the conclusion of the public comment period – including meetings scheduled for more accessible evening hours - to ensure that the Legislature fully engages the public in this process before any vote is held.”