Nassau and Suffolk Counties will need to spend millions of dollars in new personnel, police overtime and software to keep up with the elimination of cash bail in New York.
In January the state will do away with cash bail for people who face misdemeanor and nonviolent felony charges. That way they won’t have to remain in jail while they await a court date.
Six hundred inmates on Long Island would qualify for immediate release.
Nassau has allocated $4 million and Suffolk over $5 million to cover the increased cost of monitoring and re-arresting defendants should they not show up to court. District attorneys’ offices and police departments will also need more staff to expedite the transfer of evidence.
