It’s open season on NYPD. First it was Judge Scheindlin, now it's the city council and the liberal candidates for mayor.
My suggestion to Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly is to reduce the number of cops in minority neighborhoods to where they can only conduct routine patrols and only respond to calls for help. Let the liberals worry about the increased number of killings that will result.
CITY COUNCIL VOTING ON OVERRIDING VETO OF NEW NYPD OVERSIGHT
Bills Would Establish Inspector General, Make Lawsuits Against NYPD Easier
CBS New York
August 22, 2013
NEW YORK — New York City council members say they will make history with a vote to override Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s vetoes on police oversight bills.
At a rally on Thursday before the vote, activists cheered and held signs that read “override.”
The council voted to create an inspector general for the police department and make it easier for people to sue for discrimination. Bloomberg vetoed it but council members say they have enough votes to override the veto.
NAACP chairman Benjamin Jealous said the NYPD is seen by many departments across the country as an example and the vote will have major ramifications.
The vote comes less than two weeks after U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin’s order for a monitor to focus on stop-and-frisk, a practice she said the department had used in a way that violated the rights of hundreds of thousands of black and Hispanic men. The city is appealing.
Thursday’s vote could be very close; the lawsuit-related component of the legislation passed in June with just the 34 votes needed to override a veto.
But “the number of votes needed will be here,” City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said Wednesday, though she reiterated her own opposition to that provision. She supports the inspector general.
Civil rights groups and minority advocates have pushed for the legislation. Supporters say the new laws, coupled with Scheindlin’s ruling, would end practices they see as unfair and would mold a more trusted, effective police force.
Bloomberg has called the bills irresponsible. He and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly say that between the council measures and the court ruling, a police force that has fought crime down to record lows will be tangled up in second-guessing and lawsuits.
“We think both pieces of legislation are unwise and will undermine public safety,” Kelly said Wednesday.
If Thursday’s override vote succeeds, the NYPD will get a watchdog with subpoena power to examine the NYPD’s “operations, policies, programs and practices,” not just stop-and-frisk, like the court monitor.
But the court’s appointee could compel action through the judge; the inspector general could just make recommendations.
The legislation also would give people more latitude to sue in state court if they felt police targeted them because of their race, sexual orientation or certain other factors. The suits could seek policy changes, but not money.
With the mayoral primary just weeks away, the issue of NYPD oversight and stop-and-frisk is center stage. During a debate Wednesday night, the Democratic candidates laid out their positions.
“Racial profiling is illegal in the city of New York as it should be and I support that,” Quinn said in the debate.
On Thursday, Democratic challenger and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio took Quinn to task for her position.
“This speaks to Speaker Quinn’s attempt to deflect my question last night, the existing law, Local Law 30, has literally no enforcement mechanism,” said de Blasio.
Amid cheers from supporters, de Blasio kept hitting on what he labeled Quinn’s hypocrisy.
“She’s going to vote the wrong way on racial profiling and then stand for the photo ops and smile because there was an override vote, which is having it both ways, to say the least,” he said.
De Blasio supports both an inspector general and lawsuits against the police department.
Bill Thompson stands with Bloomberg, opposing an inspector general and lawsuits.
John Liu has called for stop-and-frisk to be abolished completely while Anthony Weiner wants to reform stop-and-frisk and have cops wear cameras.
Ex-councilman Sal Albanese and the Rev. Erick Salgado also took part in Wednesday’s debate.
The candidates also discussed whether they would keep Kelly as police commissioner.
UPDATE: The council voted 39 to 10 yesterday to pass the oversight measure and 34 to 15 to nullify a second veto of a bill allowing lawsuits against the police for discrimination. Votes by at least 34 of the council’s 51 members were required to override a mayoral veto.
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