Nassau PBA backs Zeldin as he repeats call for ‘crime emergency’ to nix bail reform

Another downstate police union is backing Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin over Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul ahead of the Nov. 8 election.

The Friday announcement of support from the 5,000-member Nassau County PBA adds to the nearly three dozen public safety groups who have endorsed Zeldin over the Democratic incumbent amid scathing criticism of bail reform and rising crime.

“New Yorkers are sick and tired of the attacks on their safety, and police officers from across the state know that as governor I’ll ensure they have the resources they need to safely and effectively do their jobs,” Zeldin said in a statement.

“I am all in to overhaul cashless bail, fire DAs who refuse to do their jobs, repeal the HALT Act, and much more to make life in our state safer for law abiding New Yorkers,” Zeldin added about progressive policies he argues allow dangerous criminal to roam free.

The Nassau County PBA has a long record of criticizing progressive reforms like controversial limits on cash bail first approved by Albany Democrats in 2019 before being slightly rolled back under Hochul in 2022.

Zeldin has also picked up support from groups representing NYPD detectives, lieutenants as well as the 50,000-member strong Police Conference of New York that reps members of the blue from across the state.

The announcement comes as the Suffolk County pol reiterated a vow, if elected, to declare a state of emergency in order to suspend controversial criminal justice reforms despite critics like Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie who say that move would be doomed to fail in Democratic-dominated Albany.

“Day One – I will declare a crime emergency,” Zeldin said Friday at a campaign stop in Albany outside a pizza parlor whose owner says he is closing at 8 p.m. nowadays because of crime in the neighborhood rather than staying open into the early morning hours.

A spokesman for Hochul’s campaign declined to comment about the Nassau PBA going with Zeldin instead of her, a move the group first released weeks ago.

Polls have shown the race between Hochul and Zeldin narrowing in recent weeks despite her cash advantage, with a Marist Poll released Thursday showing her ahead by just 8 points among registered voters who definitely plan on casting ballots.

While she has not been able to compete with Zeldin in terms of the number of endorsements she has gotten from public safety unions, her campaign has landed support from a few – including the New York City Deputy Sheriffs’ Association earlier this week.

“We believe she’ll do what needs to be done to support our members and make New York safe for all,” association President Ingrid Simonovic said in an Oct. 11 campaign press release.