Crime & Safety
Sheriff Reacts To AOC Calling Jails 'Garbage Bins'
Do you agree with AOC that jails are "garbage bins" and should not be built, or with the sheriff, who called her remarks "incendiary?"
LONG ISLAND, NY — Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon reacted to comments made Thursday by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calling jails "garbage bins."
According to the New York Post, Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat who represents New York's 14th District, suggested politicians stop building prisons to tackle crime and provide mental health, counseling, and hospital services instead.
She called jails "garbage bins” for those who need mental health issues addressed, the Post said.
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Toulon, a Democrat, fired back: "This is exactly why New York City is a mess. AOC has no respect for the men and women who devote their lives to public service, public safety, and corrections."
He added that the Suffolk County jail has a learning center, a nationally recognized human trafficking unit, a START (re-entry) center, and a family reunification program, among other programs.
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"AOC's answer to public safety = incendiary name-calling and support for misguided and rushed public policy, like New York's bail reform law, which has endangered society," Toulon said.
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