Nassau County, New York, abuts the Big Apple. Well, at least the Brooklyn and Queens slices, but still one would suspect that a jurisdiction just over the line from a city known for its sophistication, stop & frisk and broken windows would be, well, somewhat astute enough to know that the person you elect to be District Attorney should have some degree of knowledge suitable for the job.

Nope. At least, not necessarily. After shedding the media darling, Kathleen Rice, whose contribution to public safety consisted of such constitutionally brilliant ideas as “flush the johns,” which put pictures of men arrested for patronizing prostitutes online upon arrest. So what if almost every one had the charges dismissed.

But now that Rice is a Member of Congress, where she can take up new causes like cyberharassment, someone else is needed to fill her seat.  So Republican Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray has graciously offered to fill her seat. The Daily News details her qualifications as District Attorney.

Murray is utterly unprepared to serve as Nassau DA. She cannot knowledgably discuss basics of New York penal laws and is clueless about pressing issues surrounding criminal justice.

A partisan attack? The devil is in the details.

Licensed to practice law in 1989, Murray worked as a junior lawyer in two firms and in the attorney general’s office. She served in the state Assembly and as town clerk before devoting her career to a post in which she touts her stewardship of “stunning beaches,” “bayside golf courses,” “popular fishing piers” and “top-notch art classes.”

Not particularly informative either way. Perhaps not a strong legal resume, but what type of law did she practice, for how long? And she was in the AG’s office, which is kinda, sorta similar. But what does she know about the job she’s running for?

Murray was asked: “If a police officer shoots an unarmed resident of Nassau County, how will your office respond?”

She answered: “Again, obviously we would respond in a very decisive and very quick manner. Obviously when there is a scenario that begs an investigation, I certainly will do that. . . .”

Decisive? Quick? Well, that’s meaningless, but better than the alternative, except for one problem.

No mention that the governor had stripped DAs of the power to prosecute when a cop kills an unarmed civilian, or that the DAs are struggling to work out protocols with the attorney general.

Well, that’s new stuff, following on the heels of Ferguson and Staten Island. Maybe she’s been too busy running for office to read the papers. It can happen.

Asked whether she would support changing grand jury immunity rules, Murray turned the world of automatic immunity on its head by venturing that DAs can offer immunity to people “to get reluctant witnesses to come forward so that a case can be presented to the grand jury.”

So, lots of people don’t get the difference between transactional and use immunity in the grand jury, and it is true that offering immunity can help with reluctant witnesses.

New York judges may hold defendants on bail only if the defendants are flight risks. The state’s chief judge has called for allowing judges to consider other factors, including the seriousness of the alleged offense.

This was a bit of a trick by Lippman, who promoted the idea of adding reasons to impose bail as if it was a reform to reduce bail. Lots of people fell for it, including the New York Times (they might have known and played along).

“I’m not necessarily exactly sure on the standards for the state,” she explained, adding, “The seriousness of the case and the scenario that went on in that particular case. That should drive the discussion on whether bail will be set with it or without.”

Well yeah, she’s completely wrong, but then again, that would qualify her for a seat on the bench as well, given how few judges use, or even know. the single lawful criterion for bail.

Leandra’s Law mandates that those convicted of driving while intoxicated must install an ignition interlock on their cars for at least six months. The device prevents a car from starting unless a puff of the driver’s breath shows the driver is not under the influence of alcohol.

Although the statute imposes an interlock regardless of whether a drunk serves jail time, Murray saw the device “as a part of parole, as a part of the post-jail scenario.”

Not to be difficult, but Murray’s take is far preferable to the Daily News’ punish first, we don’t need no stinkin’ convictions to impose sanctions.

Murray charged that Singas’ prosecutors fail to meet case deadlines. One such time limit generally gives not more than six days to indict a felony defendant who is held in jail or the defendant will be released. This is widely known as the 180-80 rule, that being its section of the law.

Are Singas’ prosecutors violating 180-80, Murray was asked. She fumphed.

“Do you know what the 180-80 rule is?” she was asked.

“I don’t know specifically, no,” she answered.

Section 180.80 of the Criminal Procedure Law requires that a defendant in custody charged with a felony is entitled to a hearing or release on his own recognizance. The time period isn’t six days, but 144 hours.

This might seem to be the same as six days to the uninitiated, but if you’re arrested at 6:37 am on a Wednesday, and the judge takes the bench at 10:49 am the following Tuesday, 180.80 has already been violated because it’s more than 148 hours in custody. It involves a lot of math, and nobody in the courthouse is good at math. Except defense lawyers, and nobody listens to them anyway.

Like Murray, former state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos is a product of the Hempstead GOP. In May, federal prosecutors filed a criminal complaint that depicted Skelos and his son as participating in a wide-ranging extortion scheme.

A district attorney’s duties include cracking down on corruption. Asked whether she had read the feds’ detailed rendition of Skelos’ alleged misdeeds, Murray answered, “No. No.”

I read Skelos’ indictment. It was pedestrian extortion, using the perks of office to help his boy make some money. If a father with a powerful office can’t help his son earn a living, what kind of father is he? Is the Daily News anti-family?

She’s perfect for the machine.

And that is why there’s a damn good chance that Kate Murray will be elected to the office of Nassau County District Attorney. May god have mercy on our souls.

H/T The Blind Guy