ALBANY, N.Y. (WKBW) — A group of New York State lawmakers is going to push for sweeping police reforms Thursday afternoon.
The Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus plans to unveil a package of 12 laws that include a renewed push to repeal the controversial Civil Rights 50-a Law.
That law makes it tougher for the public to access first responders' disciplinary records and was the subject of an I-Team investigation in the summer of 2019. Media lawyer Mickey Osterriecher told 7 Eyewitness News anchor Ed Drantch then that without agencies releasing those disciplinary documents, oversight is, quote, "pretty much a fox minding the hen house."
The reform package also calls for a ban on racial or ethnic profiling by police, would establish the crime of strangulation under the so-called "Eric Garner Act," would mandate police provide medical attention to people being put under arrest and calls for a reduction in the number of non-criminal arrests.
The caucus will stream its proposal of this reform package live on Facebook at 3:00 p.m.
You can read the full details of each law proposal below:
- Repeal of 50-a
- False 9-1-1 Complaints
- Office of the Special Prosecutor
- Police STAT Act
- Right to Monitor Act
- Local Independent Oversight of Police
- Medical Attention for Persons Under Arrest
- Establishes the Crime of Strangulation
- Failure to Obtain Medical Care
- Bans Racial/Ethnic Profiling by Police
- Reducing Arrests for Non-Criminal Offenses
- Expanded Use of Law Enforcement Body Cameras for both NYS Police and MTA Police
