The mother of Eric Garner, a Staten Island man killed in a police chokehold, says Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner James O’Neill do not need to wait for the U.S. Department of Justice to take action against the officer who killed her son—and blasted them for preventing the city’s independent oversight entity from prosecuting him.
About 19 months ago, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order that was hailed by many advocates and elected officials as a bold and unprecedented step towards police accountability...Over the course of the year-and-a-half since Cuomo signed the order, there have been more than a dozen police-involved deaths across New York State that have warranted examination by Schneiderman’s office. Nine have been determined to fall under the attorney general’s jurisdiction, with mixed results....Now, advocates and victims' families are pushing for the executive order to be written into law — both for permanence and to broaden criteria for cases that fall under the attorney general’s jurisdiction.
Constance Malcolm is fed up. It's been just over five years since former New York City police officer Richard Haste stormed into her Bronx home and opened fire on her unarmed son, 18-year-old Ramarley Graham.
In the weeks since Donald Trump won the presidential election and assumed office, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has sought every opportunity to present himself as opposed to Trump. While de Blasio has promoted his administration as a defender against Trump’s anti-immigrant and racist agenda, he has refused to take concrete action within his own power to protect New Yorkers.
The Legal Aid Society filed a lawsuit against the New York Police Department on Tuesday in an effort to force the agency to disclose information about how officers are disciplined for wrongdoing on the job.
In the face of mounting criticism of his record on transparency, Mayor Bill de Blasio called for changing a state law that the city has said blocks the release of details about disciplinary actions taken against New York City police officers.
Mayor de Blasio has made a formal plea to the state legislature to amend Section 50-a of the New York State Civil Rights Law, which the NYPD has used to justify withholding disciplinary records of police officers who have been accused of misconduct. "Without significant changes to this statute, the city remains barred from providing New Yorkers with the transparency we deserve," the mayor said in a statement.