The Community Safety Act

About | Timeline | City Council Votes| Resources

Legislation to Combat Discriminatory Policing & Hold the NYPD Accountable

In 2013, Communities United for Police Reform, working with allies across the city, helped pass the Community Safety Act (CSA), a landmark legislative package aimed at ending discriminatory policing and bringing real accountability to the NYPD. 

Signed into law in January 2014, the Community Safety Act has brought groundbreaking reform to the NYPD and has paved the way for future reforms efforts to bring about substantive change to policing in NYC. The passage of the CSA was a historic victory in the movement for police accountability and would not have been possible without the leadership of community groups and advocates, elected officials, and the thousands of individuals who signed petitions, mobilized to rallies, talked to their neighbors, and called their local City Council Members.

The CSA was an important advancement toward making New York City a safer place where the police treat everyone with dignity and respect.  Communities United for Police Reform is continuing our important work to ensure that the new laws are implemented.  We will also continue our efforts to increase transparency and accountability of the NYPD. 

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About the Legislation

• End discriminatory profiling - Protecting New Yorkers against discriminatory profiling by the NYPD (Local Law 71)
• NYPD Oversight Law - Establish independent oversight of the NYPD (Local Law 70)
• Protect New Yorkers against unlawful searches*  (Intro. 799)
• Require officers to identify and explain themselves to the public* (Intro. 801)

In 2013, New Yorkers celebrated the passage of the CSA bills to strengthen and expand the ban on racial and other discriminatory profiling and establish independent oversight of the NYPD when the New York City Council overrode a veto by former Mayor Bloomberg.  Both bills went into effect on January 1, 2014.

*The other Community Safety Act bills were not voted on by the City Council in 2013.

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Timeline

• February 2012: The CSA bills were introduced in the City Council by Council Members Brad Lander & Jumaane Williams
• October 2012: City Council held a hearing on the full package of bills.
• June 26, 2013: Two of the Community Safety Act bills voted on and passed by the City Council with veto-proof majorities of 34 to 17 (Intro 1080) and 40 to 11 (Intro 1079). 
• July 26, 2013: Moments after the City Council passed the Community Safety Act, former Mayor Bloomberg vetoed both bills.  
• August 22, 2013: City Council overrode the Mayor’s vetoes on Intros 1080  (34 for, 15 against, 2 abstentions) and 1079 (39 for, 10 against, 2 abstentions), which would allow the bills to be signed into law.
• January 1, 2014: Community Safety Act bills became law.

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City Council Votes

Many New York City Council Members stood up for justice and voted to enact the Community Safety Act.  Here’s a comprehensive list of City Council Member and how they voted on the CSA bills.

Voted to override the Mayor's veto of the NYPD Oversight bill (Intro 1079):
David G. Greenfield*, Karen Koslowitz*, Christine C. Quinn, Joel Rivera, James Vacca*

Voted against override of both bills:
Elizabeth Crowley*, Lewis Fidler, James F. Gennaro, Vincent J. Gentile, Vincent Ignizio*, Peter Koo*, Michael C. Nelson, James S. Oddo, Domenic M. Recchia, Jr., Eric Ulrich*

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Fact Sheets & Resources

• Intro 1080 (Profiling Ban) & Intro 1079 (Independent Oversight) Fact Sheet
• NYPD Monitor Fact v Fiction (courtesy Brennan Center for Justice)
• Basic information on the full Community Safety Act package of legislation

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