De Blasio slammed for adding police reform bills to hearing last minute

January 8, 2018
Yoav Gonen
New York Post

Police-reform advocates on Monday slammed the de Blasio administration for waiting until the last minute before adding controversial police reform bills to a public hearing hosted by the mayor.

One measure in the Right to Know Act requires cops to get proof of consent from a person before searching them without a legal basis.

A second bill requires cops to ID themselves and provide business cards to suspects.

Carolyn Martinez-Class, a spokesperson for Communities United for Police Reform, said the two-hour notice was poorly timed because the hearing coincided with the funeral for Erica Garner, 27 — the daughter of police victim Eric Garner.

Martinez-Class called the lack of notice “disappointing and disrespectful.”

Her group endorsed the consent bill but opposed the ID proposal as too weak.

“These hearings were noticed more than a week ago in the New York Post and added to the public schedule hours before they took place, leaving time for members of the public to attend — which they did,” said mayoral spokesman Austin Finan.

Topics: Right to Know Act