Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney condemned Governor Kathy Hochul for the early release of Joseph Baker, a gang member accused of orchestrating a violent act while in prison. Baker, 34, allegedly plotted to attack a rival drug dealer from behind bars. After being released ahead of schedule, he was linked to further violent crime shortly after his return to the streets. Tierney criticized the state's policy for releasing non-violent offenders without proper communication to law enforcement, which he claims jeopardizes public safety.
"The governor or anyone else shouldn't unilaterally and arbitrarily decide who can be released and then claim that they're non-violent or not a threat," Tierney said.
"We time our investigations to guarantee public safety based upon when people are going to be released and then when they're released without us knowing that screws things up."
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