Applauding NYC City Council

I applaud the City Council for its legislative package of six different bills to reform the New York City Police Department. These bills are deeply aligned with my beliefs about policing: we must redefine public safety, reduce the NYPD’s footprint, and enhance transparency and accountability.

NYPD Governance:

I applaud:

• Removing the Police Commissioner’s final disciplinary authority

• Ending qualified immunity for police officers

• Requiring confirmation of the Police Commissioner

• Investigating officers with a history of bias, with a specific focus on the EEO cases handled under James Kobel’s command

• Preserving Freedom of the Press

I would also like to see:

• Fully funding the CCRB to City Charter requirements

• Elevating CCRB to a semi-autonomous agency, much like the Campaign Finance Board

• Explicit rules about insubordination that extend from Mayor to rank-and-file

• Alternatives to Armed Crisis Intervention

I applaud:

• Creating a non-police emergency response for mental health emergencies

• Reforming the role of school safety agents

• Protecting students in emotional crisis

• Moving traffic crash investigations to the Department of Transportation

I also would like to see:

• More use of unarmed responders to 911 calls, with properly trained operators and responders

• Ensure that a Mental Health Emergency Response Unit is available 24/7/365

• Data and Transparency of Police Operations

I applaud:

• Transparency on school safety agent turnovers

• Reporting on vehicle stops

I would also like to see:

• More data integration to create user-friendly, public-facing dashboards across all areas of policing

These steps go a long way towards creating a more fair, just, and equitable city. I congratulate and thank Council Speaker Johnson, the Sponsors and Co-sponsors, and the entire City Council for beginning to address the need for reform of policing in NYC. I look forward to hearing the debate on these bills.