City officials fear the proposed changes may put dangerous offenders back on the street
The Miami Beach City Commission has voted unanimously to “strongly” oppose a proposed administrative circuit court order that could lead to the release of dangerous offenders on their own recognizance prior to their first court appearance.
“It doesn’t matter how much of our taxpayer’s money we spend on apprehending dangerous criminals if the court system is just going to turn around and release them without any requirement to post bail,” Miami Beach City Commissioner Alex Fernandez who sponsored the item said.
The resolution approved by the Miami Beach City Commission states that the proposed bail and bond reform measure would affect suspects in a wide range of cases, including city and county ordinance offenses as well as first- and second-degree misdemeanor offenses and even some felony offenses.
“Our priority is to prevent and reduce crime and the expansion of the Miami Beach Prosecution Team has helped,” added Miami Beach Vice Mayor Steven Meiner who co-sponsored the item. “Granting immediate release after arrest for certain offenses such as assault, battery and many quality of life crimes before seeing a judge or posting bond will lead to more crime.”
The commission resolution also directs the Miami Beach City Clerk to send copies of the measure to all municipalities in Miami-Dade County, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Police Benevolent Association and the Miami-Dade League of Cities.
Moreover, the resolution urges those other entities to join with Miami Beach in opposing the proposed bail and bond reform measure.
Original source can be found here.
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