New York City police officers are required to log basic information for all public interactions after the city council overrode Mayor Eric Adams’s veto of the controversial bill, putting the Democrat in an unlikely agreement with the chairman of the state Republican Party.
On Tuesday, the New York City Council voted 42-9 to overturn Adams’s veto of the How Many Stops Act. The council passed the act in December 2023 before the mayor used his powers to halt the bill in January.
The bill requires the NYPD to record the race, gender, and age of the people from low-level interactions, including the “reason for the investigative encounter,” if a summons was issued, an arrest was made, or if force was used.
Republican State Committee Chairman Ed Cox called on Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) and New York lawmakers to pass legislation to prevent the How Many Stops Act from being enforced. In an odd alliance over the bill, Cox and Adams both expressed concern regarding the safety of New Yorkers.
Following the passage, Adams restated his belief that the legislation would make New Yorkers less safe by slowing down police activity.
“These bills will make New Yorkers less safe on the streets, while police officers are forced to fill out additional paperwork rather than focus on helping New Yorkers and strengthening community bonds,” Adams said. “Additionally, it will make staff in our jails and those in our custody less safe by impairing our ability to hold those who commit violent acts accountable.”
“Look, we’re all for safety and quality of life here in New York City,” Cox said, per CBS New York. “People are leaving this city because of the degradation of the quality of life here.”
The legislation passed overwhelmingly amid outrage over a black city councilman saying he was stopped and pulled over by a police officer without explanation on Friday night. Police pulled over Councilman Yusef Salaam, an exonerated member of the ‘Central Park 5,’ in Harlem. Police said the stop was due to his vehicle’s dark tint breaking legal limits, but Salaam said that reasoning was not given during the traffic stop.
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The Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, the largest police union in the U.S., echoed concerns from Adams and Republicans about the time-consuming paperwork for officers.
“Despite the increased workload and the NYPD’s critically low staffing levels, we will continue to protect our communities to the best of our ability,” PBA officials said in a statement. “Ultimately, it will be City Council members — not PBA members — who must answer for rising 911 response times and diminished police presence in our neighborhoods.”