The New York association representing the state's 62 elected district attorneys urged Gov. Kathy Hochul to provide funding assistance at the current clip, allocating $60 million for State Aid to Prosecution and $80 million for costs related to implementation of 2020 discovery reforms.

In a letter to Hochul on Tuesday, District Attorneys Association of the State of New York President Michael E. McMahon asked for at least level funding.

State Aid to Prosecution was said to be one of the most important components of funding to DA offices, providing money to support the enhanced prosecution of gun violence, violent crime and repeat and serious offenders statewide.

“I know that you understand the value of that essential program and last year you allocated more money to Aid to Prosecution than has ever been provided,” McMahon wrote.

In 2020, New York’s discovery laws were reworked to require prosecutors to share evidence with the defense within quicker timeframes during pretrial, with the initial obligation 15 days before the defendant’s arraignment.

According to DAASNY, exactly half of the money—$40 million of the record $80 million statewide— went to assisting New York City prosecutor offices with discovery requirements.

“Those funds are greatly needed,” McMahon wrote, “and prosecutor’s offices are continuing to plan, to purchase equipment and cloud storage, and to hire and train qualified staff, including support staff.”

Overall, McMahon said, the resources are needed to fund the staff and modern technology to combat crime.

“I urge New York State to continue to make public safety a priority and to continue to invest in initiatives that support the criminal justice system,” McMahon said in a separate statement. “Funding items related to public safety must remain a goal. Those investments keep our state running and keep our residents and their families safe and healthy. Our state continues to face challenges in combating gun violence, retail theft, domestic violence and hate crimes."

Hochul’s administration indicated its support for prosecutors throughout New York.

"Public safety is Governor Hochul's top priority and since taking office she has made record-setting investments to fund police and district attorneys’ offices across the State of New York,” her office said in a statement to the Law Journal.

“In this year's budget, Governor Hochul secured nearly $400 million to combat gun violence and prosecute domestic abuse cases, as well as expanding laws to crack down on retail theft, hate crimes and more. Governor Hochul will continue her steadfast commitment to protecting New Yorkers when she unveils her Executive Budget early next year."

The fiscal 2025 enacted budget includes $347 million to combat gun violence; $40 million for coordinated law enforcement efforts to tackle retail theft; $36 million to prosecute domestic violence cases; and $35 million to thwart hate crimes.

DAASNY’s budget request comes just weeks after the governor unveiled crime statistics indicating a decrease in violent crime, with gun violence in New York at its lowest point since the state began tracking in 2006.

Asked for a local perspective on the landscape for prosecutors, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney, a Republican, spoke about how he believes recent policy measures have challenged DA offices.

“I think what we’ve seen, with the advent of bail reform and so-called criminal justice reform, [is] that it’s become much more difficult for prosecutors to do their job,” Tierney told the New York Law Journal.

“So, if we want to continue to serve our constituents and attempt to keep our communities safe, we need help. Fortunately, we can sometimes get that through grants and programs from the state and federal government. We want to take full advantage of that.”

Tierney said his office received $19 million in grants his first two years in office in 2022-2023, and he's hopeful that these awards will continue.

“Discovery reform and body-worn cameras are massive IT issues,” Tierney stated. “When the state requires us to provide all of that digital information in a very abbreviated period of time, or otherwise our case gets dismissed, we need the resources to try to address that.”

Tierney added that he respectfully disagrees with the discovery, bail and various other reforms.

“But I think, fortunately, the state also realizes that these measures create obstacles for the prosecution and they do give us money to help us with those obstacles. We’re certainly going to take advantage of that. … We certainly appreciate the help that we get from the state."

"What we’d like the state to do," he added, "is engage in a more meaningful dialogue on how to amend some of these laws that we think are creating problems for us.”