Arrest Made In Slew Of Glen Cove-Area Auto Break-Ins, Thefts

GLEN COVE, NY — Police in Glen Cove said they made an arrest in connection with a spate of car break-ins and thefts, but warned the person responsible was released due to new bail reform laws. Police did not identify the man, who is pictured above, but described him as being from Roslyn.

The man faces theft and possession of stolen property charges but was immediately freed upon receiving a ticket to appear in court. William Whitton, the city's police chief, said the individual would've remained in custody in the past.

"Unfortunately, because of the new criminal justice reforms that were signed into legislation at the beginning of this year, we had to release the individual responsible for these crimes immediately," Whitton said.

On Tuesday, police said were 11 reports since Jan. 20 of items stolen out of vehicles. Similar thefts were also reported in Sea Cliff and Glen Head. Glen Cove Detective Lt. John Nagle said in a statement there was one common denominator: unlocked vehicles. That includes a Jan. 21 theft in which a black SUV, possibly a GMC Suburban, was spotted on Crow lane. Three people got out of the vehicle and were seen trying to open the doors of parked vehicles in the area.

Police asked the community to remain vigilant and remember to lock their vehicles.

New York's bail reform legislation has come under scrutiny since going into effect Jan. 1. Numerous law enforcement officials have criticized the laws and said it puts the public in danger. The law was intended to ensure people accused of nonviolent crimes weren't jailed before their trial because they couldn't afford to pay bail.

Prior to the legislation, about 21,000 people were jailed on a single night across New York, and more than 60 percent of them were held before trial, mainly because they couldn’t afford to pay bail. Since the new law took effect, that number has fallen to about 15,000, roughly 28 percent, according to the Vera Institute of Justice.

"That means that on any given day, approximately 6,000 additional people who would otherwise have been held pretrial across the state were free to return to their families, their jobs, and their homes," the organization said.