Associated Press
NEW YORK — A New York state senator has introduced a bill in honor of a slain police officer that would make it harder for career criminals to enter drug treatment as an alternative to jail time.
It was introduced by Sen. Martin Golden in response to last month’s shooting of New York Police Department Officer Randolph Holder.
The bill, dubbed Officer Randolph Holder’s Law, would bar anyone with two or more felony convictions from entering diversion programs.
The Daily News says the bill would require a district attorney to sign off on any diversion. It also would require the court to consider and make an on-the-record finding about an offender’s potential risk to the public.
The suspect in Holder’s killing was allowed into a diversion program despite a long arrest record.