By Michael V. Cusenza
The City Council Common Sense Caucus this week blasted Introduction 586, the so-called How Many Stops bill proposed by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams that would require cops to record virtually every public encounter.
“By requiring police officers to document almost every interaction they have with members of the public, this legislation would divert our officers from essential crime-fighting duties unnecessary and onerous administrative tasks, transforming community police officers into bureaucratic paper-pushers,” the caucus, which counts borough Councilwomen Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) and Vickie Paladino (R-Whitestone) as members and Queens Councilman Bob Holden (D-Maspeth) as co-chairman, wrote on Tuesday. “Our police force is stretched thin and already faces more scrutiny and oversight than any agency in the country. It’s ironic that Public Advocate [Jumaane] Williams, living on a heavily guarded army base, pushes a bill that will hamstring police. This legislation, as written, is not only unwarranted but detrimental to public safety.”
Photo Courtesy of NYC Council
“We cannot continue to allow legislation to further dismantle the NYPD and impede them from doing their jobs,” Councilwoman Ariola said.
As the caucus noted, Intro. 586 would require NYPD officers to document each and every encounter with members of the public, including Level 1 stops, which are basic interactions with no criminality suspected, such as assisting a sick passenger or canvassing for a missing child. These interactions, the caucus stated, are a crucial tool in community policing and public safety. In 2022, the City Police Department made over 3.2 million Level 1 stops.
“We cannot continue to allow legislation to further dismantle the NYPD and impede them from doing their jobs. It’s just another form of defunding the police,” Ariola said.
Mayor Eric Adams and the NYPD oppose the bill, according to published reports.
Photo Courtesy of NYC Council
Councilman Bob Holden is co-chairman of the Common Sense Caucus.
“Under this bill, police officers would spend less time keeping New Yorkers safe and more time filling out paperwork — slowing response times and diverting officers from engaging with the public,” an NYPD spokesperson told the New York Post.
The same Post story noted that the proposed legislation has 32 co-sponsors, “all but assuring its passage.”
