New York City Mayor Eric Adams vetoed two bills Friday to protect police officers from restrictions placed on them by the city council.
Adams rejected a ban on solitary confinement, Intro 549-A, in order to protect jail workers from violent detainees. According to the mayor, the practice hasn’t been used in city jails “for years.” As a previous New York Police Department captain, Adams explained his reasoning in an announcement at City Hall.
“We cannot handcuff the police,” he said. “We want to handcuff bad people who are violent.”
The second bill to get the chop was the How Many Stops Act, which would have required officers to record more detailed records about the New Yorkers they stopped during their day. Adams accused the bill of attempting to slow officers down “in unnecessary paperwork” and as a result “will make our city less safe.”
You know my story. I’ve been the victim of police abuse. And I’ve been a police officer.
But while our administration supports efforts to make law enforcement more transparent, more just, and more accountable, this bill would take officers away from policing our streets and… pic.twitter.com/HcEIALDchJ
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) January 19, 2024
“Anyone implying that this body does not prioritize the safety of our communities is misrepresenting our work and misleading New Yorkers,” the council wrote on X.
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“The Mayor’s veto betrays his stated goal of public safety and harms Black and Latino communities that bear the brunt of stops,” council Speaker Adrienne Adams wrote in a statement. The speaker also cited the “physical and psychological harm” that is caused by solitary confinement.
The city council has plans to override the veto, as both bills were passed last month with more votes than the two-thirds majority required.