EDITORIAL

Politicians know that crime is a dependable hot button issue. Voters respond to it, understand-ably so: public safety is a key role for government.

But facts are important, too. New York Republicans who have consistently been using the state's 2019 bail reform legislation as a punching bag should pay better attention to statistics and specific circumstances that bely their fearmongering.

In the most recent case, Buffalo Republican mayoral candidate James Gardner is using the murder of Amanda Thompson to score political points against his opponent, Democratic nominee State Sen. Sean Ryan. As reported in stories by The News' Natalie Brophy and Justin Sondel, Gardner is claiming that bail reform laws that Ryan voted for made it difficult for a City Court judge to set bail after T

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