ALBANY, N.Y. — Two local sheriffs were among a contingent who traveled to Albany Tuesday to urge state lawmakers to pass public-safety legislation.

Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter and Ontario County Sheriff David Cirencione support Senator Pam Helming’s PROTECT Act. It would let judges use a “dangerousness” standard in deciding whether to hold suspects in custody until trial.

They say current law — which leads to the release of many suspects on appearance tickets — is just as dangerous for suspects as it is for the community.

“I have had a handful of inmates that, as they leave our jail, (say) ‘Sheriff, it wasn’t until I got into jail that I got the help I needed. And with the appearance ticket, I was just going to stay out and continue to do what I needed to do to support my habit,’” Cirencione said. “We can get people real help.”

The PROTECT Act would give judges a standardized form to assess whether people charged with felonies or Class A misdemeanors pose a danger to themselves or others.

The post ‘I got the help I needed in jail’: Sheriffs advocate for dangerousness standard in pre-trial release decisions appeared first on WHEC.com.