New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday called the nationwide unrest and demonstrations against aggressive law enforcement tactics a transformational moment for the country, saying city leaders, police departments and unions representing officers all must play a role.
Those calling to defund police departments are wanting departments to change fundamentally, the governor said, and he agreed, adding that most departments will likely fall in line.
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“They understand they’re operating in a different reality, with different perceptions and different mandates,” Cuomo said.
On Monday, lawmakers in New York took the first steps in passing reforms Cuomo called for last week. The state Assembly voted 140-3 to pass the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act, named for the man who died on July 17, 2014, after a NYPD officer placed him in a chokehold for several minutes as officers tried to restrain him. Officers suspected Garner of selling black market cigarettes.
While a grand jury passed on pressing charges against officer Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who placed Garner in the chokehold, the city ultimately settled with Garner’s family a year later and fired Pantaleo last year.
Other bills that are part of the reform plans include making officers’ disciplinary records available for public review, banning false and racially motivated 9-1-1 calls and appointing the state Attorney General to oversee cases against law enforcement officers.
Police unions have spoken out against changes to or a repeal of Section 50-a of the state Civil Rights Law, which currently keeps law enforcement personnel records confidential unless the officer agrees to release them.
Cuomo said the unions will bring the police officers’ perspective to the discussions on the reforms, but he said making those records available is not a punitive measure.
“If I sent a complaint letter about a toll taker, if I sent a complaint letter about a schoolteacher, it’s going to be released,” he said. “So, it’s just fairness and equity across the board.”
Monday also marked 100 days since New York state recorded its first COVID-19 case, and it also marked New York City’s entry into the state’s reopening program, a milestone that means the entire state has started the recovery process from the coronavirus that claimed more than 24,000 New Yorkers and affected hundreds of thousands – if not millions – more.
“It’s a day that I am so glad to see finally come,” Cuomo told reporters at his daily briefing.
Statewide, of the more than 58,000 COVID-19 test administered Sunday, only 1.2 percent came back positive. During the peak of the state’s crisis in April, the percentage rate for positive tests reached nearly 60 percent.
