Fed up with a rise in crime and pro-criminal insurance policies, former high NYPD official and retired decide George Grasso plans to problem incumbent Melinda Katz in subsequent 12 months’s Democratic main for Queens district lawyer.
Grasso, 65, labored his approach by the NYPD ranks, from road cop, then earned a regulation diploma to turn into deputy commissioner of authorized issues and first deputy commissioner.
Extra just lately, Grasso served as administrative decide for legal issues in Queens Supreme Courtroom and beforehand as supervising decide for Bronx Legal Courtroom.
He retired from the bench on Aug. 31 to run for district lawyer.
“Mayor Adams wants somebody like me to face up. He can’t do it alone,” Grasso advised The Put up Tuesday.
He rattled off the double-digit will increase in main crimes in Queens, significantly mentioning the brutal beating of a lady in a subway in Howard Seashore and harmless bystanders who had been shot in a park in South Ozone Park.
“I’m not pleased with the efficiency of the Queens district lawyer. There must be accountability there. Don’t district attorneys take credit score when crime goes down?” Grasso mentioned.
“So far as I’m involved it’s a poor efficiency at this level. I don’t suppose she’s measuring up. I’m giving Democrats an actual selection within the main.”
Grasso, who was born in Queens and lived within the borough a lot of his life, mentioned he’ll stack up his 43-year report within the NYPD and the judiciary towards Katz, the previous Queens borough president and councilwoman who was elected DA in 2019.
“Isn’t it a coincidence that she was term-limited as borough president when she ran for district lawyer?” he requested.
“I’m working because the centrist, widespread sense candidate. We want a vigorous debate within the Democratic Get together on legal justice that Melinda Katz gained’t present. I don’t see her tackling the issue the way in which I'll.”
He slammed as “principally meaningless” the tweaks Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic lawmakers made to the controversial cashless bail regulation earlier this 12 months.
The underside line, he mentioned: The regulation doesn't present a “dangerousness” customary permitting judges to detain legal defendants deemed a violent risk to public security.
He mentioned statehouse Democrats left the judiciary with a “scorching mess.”
Grasso, in the meantime, slammed as “faulty” the metropolis’s plan to shut the Rikers Island jails advanced and exchange it with 4 smaller borough jails as a result of it’s based mostly on “phony numbers” projecting a a lot decrease jail inhabitants.
He mentioned metropolis officers ought to commit extra assets to repair Rikers now –together with having Bellevue hospital open a satellite tv for pc workplace there to deal with the excessive proportion of inmates with psychological well being and substance issues.
Grasso made his pitch for Queens DA on the NYPD’s Columbia Affiliation luncheon that adopted Monday’s Columbus Day parade.
“I've resigned from the bench to place my abilities and expertise to raised use in turning the tide round from the madness that's hurting our metropolis earlier than it's too late,” Grasso mentioned in a observe to a supporter.
“George is a superb man. He’d be an awesome district lawyer,” mentioned Angelo Vivolo, president of the Columbia Heritage Coalition, the umbrella group representing Italian-American civic teams within the metropolis.
Katz gained the 2019 Democratic Major in a squeaker towards left-wing defund-the-police supporting democratic socialist Tiffany Caban, who subsequently was elected to the council.
Katz mentioned she’s able to defend her report when requested a couple of Grasso problem.
“DA Katz is targeted on defending the residents of Queens. She’s led an workplace that’s centered on equity, security and accountability and he or she’s been a gradual hand in turbulent instances,” mentioned Katz marketing campaign spokesman Max Kramer.
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