New York State Sen. Tom O’Mara is renewing his criticism of the state’s bail reform laws, citing a recent major drug bust in Allegany County where one of the suspects was released shortly after their arrest. O’Mara, a long-time opponent of the 2019 bail reform measures, pointed to the case as an example of how the law endangers public safety.
The drug bust, which took place in the small town of Cuba, resulted in the seizure of over $4 million worth of illegal drugs. Law enforcement officials, who conducted a year-long investigation and surveillance operation, described it as the largest bust in Allegany County’s history and one of the top three in the Southern Tier. Despite the gravity of the charges—felony drug possession, weapons offenses, and resisting arrest—one of the two suspects was released under current bail laws.
“This case is a stark reminder that Albany Democrats remain more than satisfied with a status quo that keeps giving our streets and neighborhoods over to chaos,” O’Mara said in a statement. “We are not done with bail reform. It continues to put local law enforcement and communities at risk.”
O’Mara’s comments follow growing frustration from law enforcement officers involved in the operation. Cuba Police Chief Dustin Burch expressed disappointment after months of work culminated in the release of a suspect charged with multiple felonies. “We worked on this case for 12 months… There is a lot of manpower in this here, a lot of overtime, and now there is a lot of frustration,” Burch said. “We were subjected to dangerous conditions, yet the suspect was released.”
Allegany County District Attorney Ian Jones also criticized the bail reform laws, noting that despite the serious nature of the charges, they did not meet the threshold required to keep the suspect in custody. “This was arguably the largest drug bust in the history of this county, yet it’s still not enough to meet our new bail rules,” Jones said. He explained that the law only allows bail for specific high-level offenses, making it challenging to detain suspects even in serious cases like this.
O’Mara has long opposed the bail reform legislation, arguing that it prioritizes the rights of criminals over the safety of the public. In his statement, he accused state leaders of creating a “no consequences” criminal justice system that emboldens offenders. “Criminals know that Albany Democrats have their back. The overriding policy of no consequences for far too many bad actors remains in place,” O’Mara said.
The senator’s remarks come more than a year after Gov. Kathy Hochul declared that New York had “accomplished what we needed to do” with bail reform. O’Mara and other critics, however, contend that the changes have led to a rise in crime and have put communities in greater danger.
“This drug bust in Allegany County highlights another failure of our bail reform,” O’Mara said. “Contrary to what the governor claims, we are not done with bail. Innocent, hard-working New Yorkers remain at risk.”
Law enforcement in Allegany County remains on edge, particularly as drugs continue to infiltrate local communities and schools. Chief Burch emphasized the impact of the seized drugs, noting that many of them would have ended up in the hands of young people. “The drugs seized in this operation are what’s being funneled into our school systems,” Burch said. “A lot of younger kids are getting their hands on it.”
O’Mara has called for further reforms to the state’s bail laws, including expanding the list of offenses that allow for pretrial detention. He insists that until Albany acts, both law enforcement and the general public will remain vulnerable.
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