New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said during a press conference that he is about to sign a police reform bill.
“The New York State legislature quickly passed the most aggressive reforms in the nation. I am going to sign that bill in a moment,” Cuomo said.
The governor noted that the measure contains 58 elements, including greater transparency of police officers’ records, a ban on the use of stranglings, allowing the state attorney general to act as a special prosecutor and end the false 911 reports based on race.
Cuomo warned the New York State Police Department that the government will not provide the funds if they are not reformed and reinvented.
“I’m going to sign an executive order today, require local governments and police departments across the state, around 500, to develop a plan that reinvents and modernizes policing strategies and programs in their communities,” Cuomo said.
The governor explained that the plan needs to address the use of force by police officers, crowd management, community surveillance, prejudice, escalation, restorative justice, community outreach, must have a transparent citizen grievance disposition procedure and any other problems that that community believes is relevant.
Cuomo said the plans must come up through discussions with local communities and then must be enacted into law.
“Every city, every county, must do it by April 1,” Cuomo said, adding that “if it is not done before April 1, or it is not approved, they will not be eligible to receive state funds.”
The protests Black Lives Matter engulfed the city shortly after the May 25 circulated a video showing in Minneapolis police violently arresting an African American man, George Floyd, who later died.
Protesters took to the streets in all 50 US states and in several countries around the world demanding police reform and an end to institutionalized racism.
