By: Pesach Osina, Candidate for State Assembly District 23

As a father of six, I think about public safety the same way all parents do. I worry whether my children are safe when they leave home. I think about parents and grandparents walking through the neighborhood. I think about the small business owner who works early to late just to keep the doors open. And I think about the families who work hard, follow the rules and simply want to feel secure in the community they call home.

Those are the people I am running to represent.

Public safety is not an abstract political issue. It is about feeling safe and comfortable where you live. It is knowing the police will be there when you need them. It is knowing that repeated criminals face real consequences. It is being able to walk into your local pharmacy or supermarket without seeing basic necessities locked behind plastic, or knowing that a package delivered to your porch won’t be stolen before you can get home.

When I am elected to the State Assembly, standing with our police to strengthen public safety and protect Queens families be my top priority.

I will fight for tougher bail laws to keep dangerous offenders off our streets. I will fight for stronger laws against repeat shoplifting, trespassing, porch pirates, and organized retail theft. And I will stand up for our police officers and first responders to make sure they have the resources, staffing, benefits and retirement security they deserve.

That commitment is why I am so proud to have earned the endorsement of both the NYC Police Benevolent Association and the New York State Troopers PBA.

Our first reponders know firsthand what is happening in our communities. They understand where our laws are working and where they are falling short. Keeping people safe takes more than talking about public safety during an election. It takes laws that make sense, resources for our police, consequences that mean something, and elected officials who listen to the people every day.

One issue – porch piracy –

has become so common that many people almost expect it. You order something online. You track it on your phone. You get the notification that it was delivered. Then you come home and find an empty doorstep. Someone walked onto your property and took something – a birthday present for your child, school supplies, medicine for a parent or grandparent, or something you had saved up to buy. needed.

Whatever was inside that box, you worked for it. You paid for it. And it was at your home. You should not have your package stolen or your property invaded.

But New York’s laws don’t reflect the way we live today. Our theft laws focus on the dollar value of what was stolen, and treat porches and private outdoor areas differently than other property.

Under current New York law, the seriousness of a larceny charge depends on the value and circumstances of what was stolen. But if someone enters your home unlawfully and steals something, New York’s burglary laws recognize that as a fundamentally different offense.

That distinction makes sense. Your home – all of your home – is your private space. Someone who comes onto your porch to steal is not simply taking property — they are invading the security of your home and your family.

New York needs stronger laws that recognize the seriousness of someone deliberately coming onto residential property to steal a package.

A package on your porch may be outside your four walls, but it was intentionally delivered to your home, to your private property, for you. The thief hase deliberately come onto your personal property, invaded your family’s space, to take your package. .

This conduct needs serious consequences.

If someone walks onto your property, goes up your steps, looks around your porch, and steals your belongings, the value of the item stolen has nothing to do with the seriousness of the crime. For all the thief knows, the package could be worth $20 or $2000. Criminals don’t know the value when committing the crimes, so why should the law have different punishments for the crime committed? And if someone is going from home to home, stealing multiple packages, our laws should recognize the repeated and intentional nature of that conduct.

That is why, in the Assembly, I will support legislation creating clear and meaningful consequences for package theft, including stronger penalties for repeat offenders, a clear legal standard that porches are considered part of your home, and enhanced consequences when stolen packages contain medication or medical equipment.

To me, that is what common-sense public safety looks like. It means looking at the problems people are actually experiencing and making government respond. Albany has a very real responsibility because state legislators write New York’s criminal laws. When those laws no longer reflect what is happening in our neighborhoods, we have the ability and the responsibility to improve them.

When you see toothpaste and deodorant locked behind plastic at the store, something has gone wrong. When you have to plan your entire day around making sure someone is home to receive a package, something has gone wrong. People should not have to lower their expectations for what a safe community looks like.

We know we will never eliminate every crime. But we can make sure our laws are strong, our law enforcement officers are supported and the concerns of everyday families are not dismissed.

That is the approach I will take in Albany.

Public safety begins at home.