Eric Adams urges Kathy Hochul to ditch 'catch, release, repeat' bail reforms and get tough on crime

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is urging newly-elected Governor Kathy Hochul to ditch the 'catch, release, repeat' bail reforms that are fueling the city's crime epidemic. 

Hochul inherited the governorship of New York from Andrew Cuomo last year. She was re-elected in Tuesday's midterm on a narrower-than-expected margin, and has been widely panned for her soft stance on crime and bail reform. 

The bail reforms implemented in 2019 do away with cash bond in most instances, a progressive idea that has meant many criminals are released back onto the streets within hours of being picked up. 

Adams, a former cop, appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Thursday to make an appeal to her to get tougher. 

'This catch, repeat, release system is just destroying the foundation of our country. And that's why we are losing this election. 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Thursday to slam the laxed bail reform laws that are putting repeat offenders back on the street  

Hochul (at her victory party on Tuesday) inherited the governorship of New York from Andrew Cuomo last year. She was re-elected in Tuesday's midterm on a narrower-than-expected margin, and has been widely panned for her soft stance on crime and bail reform.

'Six out of 10 New Yorkers in the Hispanic and Asian community voted Democrat compared to seven to eight out of 10 last time. We are losing the base black and brown who really believe in those basic things. Public safety, housing, education. 

'We cannot talk our way out of this. We have to be real what people are facing on the street. 

'We must return to Albany... too many people in Albany, they have dug in and say, "If we change this small number of offenders and go after them, that we are relinquishing a reform that I advocated for." 

'To not recalibrate is a big mistake because there are too many people... that are repeated offenders. They have made up their mind that they're going to be violent in our streets, and the unpredictableness of their behavior is really...' 

Among them is Juan Rivera, 52, who was arrested on Wednesday after trying to snatching an eight-year-old girl as she walked down the sidewalk with her father in the Bronx. He had only been released from prison in August. 

The girl's father was able to pry her back from him and two officers who happened to be passing took Rivera into custody. 

Adams and Hochul are shown on October 22, before the election, as she was being privately warned by her advisers and donors to get tougher on crime. She appeared with Adams at a press conference about crime on the subway 

Crime in New York City has been rising over the last several years, thanks largely to a 2019 bail reform that all-but did-away with cash bond 

He has been charged with kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment and harassment. He had been in prison since 2003, when he was convicted of second degree murder for shooting a man in the Bronx.     

In the run-up to the election, Hochul was being privately urged by advisers and donors to vow to fire Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. 

CNBC cites sources in her camp who say she refused to make the promise because Bragg was elected. 

In his first week in the job, he told his team of prosecutors not to go after cash bond in a majority of crimes unless there was no other option. 

During a debate against Republican opponent Lee Zeldin before the polls opened, Hochul sparked fury by saying she didn't know why crime and bail reform were 'so important' to him. 

Hochul nevertheless won Tuesday's midterm, but only by a 5 point margin. 

In 2018, Andrew Cuomo won the state with 60 percent over Republican Marc Molinaro's 36.2. 

Hochul had the smallest margin over a Republican opponent than any previous Democratic candidate in the last 20 years. 

George Pataki was the last Republican Governor of New York, winning in 2002 just a year after 9/11. 

Republican Mike Bloomberg won that same year, taking over from Rudy Giuliani, another Republican, who served for nine years.