Cuomo Ordering Police Departments To Implement Reforms

NEW YORK, NY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he will sign an executive order Friday mandating that all police departments in New York reinvent themselves when it comes to use of force, community policing and more. He threatened to revoke state funding for agencies that do not.

The extraordinary mandate comes amid nationwide anti-police brutality protests stemming from the death of George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer held his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly 9 minutes.

At his daily briefing, Cuomo said the state is launching the "NYS Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative." The governor said the state's 500 police agencies and local governments must develop a plan that "reinvents and modernizes" police strategies and programs in their community. Not only must they implement reforms, but police departments will have to do so with community participation.

The governor set an April 1 deadline for local law enforcement agencies to enact a plan. Those that fail to do so are "not going be eligible for state funding, period," Cuomo said.

"We're not going to be a state government subsidizing improper police practices," he said.

Police forces must certify that they have:

1. Engaged stakeholders in a public and open process on policing strategies and tools.
2. Presented a plan, by chief executive and head of the local police force, to the public for comment.
3. After considering comments, present the plan to the local legislative body (council or legislature as appropriate) which has approved such plan (by either local law or resolution).
4. If such local government does not certify the plan, the police force may not be eligible to receive future state funding.

In response to a Patch reporter's question Friday, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said he hadn't seen the governor's briefing but looks forward to working with the state on police reform. He said the county has worked on the issue for years.

Meanwhile, Geraldine Hart, the Suffolk County police commissioner, said she met with the president of the Guardians, a fraternal organization that represents black officers, and said they have worked in the past on overhauling hiring standards and guidelines to represent minority groups in the department.

Patrick Ryder, the Nassau police commissioner, told Patch in a statement his department is one the most "highly trained police agencies in the country."

"Our recruit academic curriculum already exceeds or meets the state mandate on all educational modules such as de-escalation and others that were described," he said. "The implementation of the Commissioners Community Council, increase in [problem-oriented policing], [community oriented police enforcement] and Community Affairs Officers has enhanced our dialogue with the community regarding their concerns. Once we further review the bill, we can move forward to address its content."

Cuomo on Friday also signed into law 10 bills dealing with criminal justice reforms, including legislation that bans chokeholds and ends the so-called 50-A law, which police departments have used to prevent disciplinary records of officers from being publicly released.

"Eric Garner did not die in vain," Cuomo said.

Cuomo signed legislation banning false, racially-based 911 calls and criminalizing them. He also designated the state attorney general as an independent prosecutor in matters relating to the killings of unarmed civilians by law enforcement.