Advocates Applaud Assembly Passage of Critical Criminal Justice Reform to Modernize Police Data Reporting; Urge Senate to Follow Suit

Advocates, elected leaders, and New Yorkers from Brooklyn to Buffalo strongly applaud the NYS Assembly for passing the Police Statistics and Transparency (STAT) Act (A.7698-A/Lentol; same as S.6001-A/Squadron) late Wednesday.

Albany, NY

In response to the New York State Assembly’s passage of the Police STAT Act (A.7698-A/Lentol; same as S.6001-A/Squadron) late Wednesday, Communities United for Police Reform released the following statement from spokesperson Jose Lopez.

“We commend Assembly Member Joe Lentol and the bill’s co-sponsors, Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, and the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus for uplifting much-needed criminal justice reform and advancing a model solution for other states to follow. The Senate has the opportunity to uphold a good government standard of transparency and accountability and to pass the Police STAT Act before the session concludes on Thursday. New York is poised to lead once again on an issue of national import - and the Senate must do its part to make this happen.”

The Police STAT Act would ensure that law enforcement officials, policy makers, and the public have reliable access to critical police data. Without a statewide reporting process, New York -- like many states across the country -- lacks the information needed to understand and account for the impact of its police departments.

Consistent with the recommendation by the White House’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, the Police STAT Act would require statewide reporting on:

The total number of arrests and tickets for violations and misdemeanors, and information on their disposition.
The race, ethnicity, age, and sex of people who are charged with violations or misdemeanors.
The total number of people who die during an interaction with police or in police custody, including demographic information.
The geographic location of enforcement activity and arrest-related deaths.

###

About Communities United for Police Reform: Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) is an unprecedented campaign to end discriminatory policing practices in New York, and to build a lasting movement that promotes public safety and policing practices based on cooperation and respect– not discriminatory targeting and harassment. CPR brings together a movement of community members, lawyers, researchers and activists to work for change. The partners in this campaign come from all 5 boroughs, from all walks of life and represent many of those unfairly targeted the most by the NYPD. CPR is fighting for reforms that will promote community safety while ensuring that the NYPD protects and serves all New Yorkers.

Topics: Police STAT Act