Rikers Island will remain under the jurisdiction of the Bronx district attorney
Gov. Cuomo voted a bill that would have given Queens prosecutors jurisdiction over Rikers Island. Sponsors of the bill argued that moving cases to Queens would increase efficiency. Cuomo also rejected a bill to give teachers a two-year reprieve from Common Core-based evaluations.
BY GLENN BLAIN
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Monday, December 29, 2014, 10:37 PM
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EMMANUEL DUNANDSome lawmakers wanted jurisdiction of Rikers Island moved to Queens. Gov. Cuomo shot down that proposal.
ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo vetoed legislation Monday that would have given Queens prosecutors jurisdiction over Rikers Island and provided teachers a two-year reprieve from Common Core-based evaluations.
Cuomo said it would be “unprecedented and unconstitutional” to take jurisdiction over Rikers away from the Bronx district attorney’s office.
The bill was quietly passed by the Legislature during the spring at the urging of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, which has complained that Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson has failed to vigorously pursue cases involving assaults on officers.
Sponsors of the measure, including Assemblyman Joseph Lentol (D-Brooklyn), argued moving cases to Queens would increase efficiency.
“Physically and geographically, Rikers is closer to Queens than the Bronx,” Lentol said.
Cuomo also said recent teacher evaluation scores, in which 91.7% of city teachers were rated as highly effective or effective, show there’s no need for a two-year moratorium on Common Core-based evaluations.
