People hold up placards to protest over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed African-American man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25, outside the Seattle Police Department's East Precinct in Seattle, Washington on June 2, 2020. - Protesters defied curfews across the United States on June 2 as leaders scrambled to stem anger over police racism while President Donald Trump rejected criticism over his use of force to break up a peaceful rally. (Photo by Jason Redmond / AFP) (Photo by JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images)
JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images
ALBANY - After another night of unrest in several communities across the state, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo outlined legislation that he said would hold law enforcement officers accountable for misconduct and provide more access to police disciplinary records.
Cuomo, after years of remaining silent on the issue, is now championing a bill that would repeal a 44-year-old statute that has shielded police officers' disciplinary records from public scrutiny, including by defense attorneys. He is also supporting a measure to prohibit the use of chokeholds, which the New York Police Department has already banned. Another proposal he supports would make false, race-based 911 calls a hate crime.
In addition, Cuomo said he wants to codify an order that would allow the state attorney general's office to investigate all cases in which someone dies during an encounter with police. It would expand an order that Cuomo signed five years ago that allowed the attorney general to investigate cases in which unarmed civilians are killed during police encounters.
State lawmakers are expected to vote on police reform bills early next week.
"Reforms work for everyone's interest," the governor said. "It restores confidence, respect and trust that you need to make this relationship work. You have to heal the police-community relationship. That has to happen for the sake of the police and for the sake of the community."
Thousands of people have taken to the streets protesting police brutality following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, who was killed after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes as he was handcuffed on the ground. Public officials in Minneapolis, and other cities, including Los Angeles, have in recent days proposed "defunding" or fully dismantling police departments and replacing them with some type of new, community-based program.
While the protests have been largely peaceful, many have devolved into violence as people infiltrated protests or took advantage of police being busy with protesters, looting businesses and engaging in other criminal activity. Police officers also have been videotaped using violence against protesters who did not appear to pose a threat, including shoving, pepper-spraying, firing rubber bullets and launching tear gas at them.
Cuomo, during his daily coronavirus task force briefing on Friday, showed snippets of videos from protests overnight Thursday of alleged excessive force by police, including a video where an older white protester in Buffalo was shoved to the ground by police officers causing the man to split his head open on the pavement. The video also showed police walking past the man as he lay bleeding on the ground, as one officer radioed for a paramedic. The officers involved were immediately suspended.
When asked what went through his mind when he saw video of the Buffalo incident, Cuomo said he was "sick to my stomach," and had spoken to the elderly man on Friday morning.
The governor remarked that firing officers for any offenses is part of a department's collective bargaining agreement, but said he believed Buffalo officials should pursue it.
"I would say that the city should pursue firing, and I think the district attorney should look at the situation for possible criminal charges," Cuomo said.
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June 06, 2020 at 01:43AM
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Cuomo champions police reform amid continued protests on police brutality - Times Union
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