Livingston County Sheriff Thomas Doughtery says the bail reform laws that went into effect at the beginning of this year are not good for New York.

"If you look at drug dealers being released, I’m sure they're dealing more drugs. I’m sure that people are getting heroin or fentanyl, overdoses. We deal with them every day. The ball is already in motion for a tragedy to strike,” said Dougherty.

Under the new state law, bail is eliminated for misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies. The law establishes what a qualifying offense is for a judge to set bail on. Dougherty says judges need to be able to use their discretion for safety reasons.

"They didn't even carve a section that says if public safety is an issue, or if this person is a danger to themselves or others, they still don't have the ability to set any monetary bail,” said Dougherty.

Dougherty estimates Livingston County usually has a jail population of 120. That number has dropped to nearly 110.

"I'm a fan of jail population dropping. I just wish it was dropping for the right reason. That we've done education and awareness and prevention and the people aren't committing the crimes,” said Dougherty.

With the New York legislative session underway, Dougherty is hopeful they'll revisit the bail reform law. He wants judges to have the ability to set bail for all felony crimes and in cases where there is danger for public safety. Also, if a person is released with pending charges, a judge should be able to set bail openly.

"I’m more of the approach that bail reform is needed and necessary. I just think that they went to an extreme to say, ‘It doesn't matter, rich, poor, whatever, nobody goes to jail on 90 percent of crimes,’” said Dougherty.