A Broken NYPD

The NYPD is broken. There’s no use in putting it lightly. While the City plays over semantics, Black and Brown New Yorkers are dying, and we cannot allow that any longer. We believe that the campaign’s main priorities regarding policing should be advocating for greater accountability, increasing transparency, pushing for community-centered approaches, supporting alternative solutions, and championing divesting and reinvesting in other programs. We can do this through:

True Accountability

We need to hold police officers who are accused of misconduct fully accountable for their actions. We are not looking for a simple “slap on the wrist” or an “administrative leave” assignment. We want to see real accountability in the form of a strong disciplinary matrix for police officers accused of misconduct. The current disciplinary matrix, effective as of January 15, 2021, is too weak -- a mere “paper reform” instead of true systemic reform. Therefore, we should push to revise and strengthen the matrix so that officers face the consequences of their actions. 

Make the NYPD Pay for its Misconduct

Right now, the City is responsible for paying out settlements to families of police misconduct cases. In 2018, police misconduct settlements cost taxpayers over $230 million in NYC alone. The violent and racist behavior of the NYPD shouldn't come at the cost of taxpayers; let's make sure that settlement payouts come directly out of the NYPD budget. 

Reforming the CCRB

In 2019, voters said yes to Proposition 2, which expanded the budget for the CCRB, gave it more power, and added more members. However, almost two years later, we still do not have a clear idea of how these measures have fully affected police accountability and reform besides increasing the investigative power of the CCRB and giving it more investigative tools and the power to fire officers. We will not be able to achieve increased transparency and accountability unless these measures are more clearly defined and the decisions CCRB are not bulldozed by NYPD leadership. 

Reclaim, Reallocate, Rebuild

We need to reclaim public funds from the NYPD and reallocate that money back into the community by reallocating funds to our public schools, social service agencies, and organizations, the hiring of social workers, and other community-based alternatives to public safety. As Councilmember, I will fight against any budget that fully funds the NYPD and ensure that at least $2 billion is cut from the NYPD's budget. There's no reason we should have a militarized police force fighting its citizens. We will prioritize rebuilding our communities -- not police them.

Make NYPD Officers Live in the 5 Boroughs

The officers that serve in the NYPD must be residents of the communities they work for. We want to require NYPD officers to live in NYC, so we are in full support of current state legislation that would mandate that officers become a resident in the city within one year of their appointment, and will fight to implement it on the City level if not passed by the State Legislature. 

Disband NYPD's Vice Squad

Dissolving the NYPD’s Vice Squad is a must. There are countless stories of individuals, primarily women (both cis and trans) of color, who were harassed and even sexually abused by the Vice Squad while in custody. The Vice Squad has a history of corruption, abuse of power, and harassment. The Vice Squad doesn't contribute to public safety, so no longer will we allow the NYPD Vice Squad to take advantage of their position to harm communities. 

Demilitarize the Police

The fast-tracked militarization of the police has led to increased violence against Black and Brown New Yorkers and leads police officers to believe that they are at war with communities. The NYPD should not have military-grade equipment, and should not be using this equipment against the public. We will limit the amount of funds that are being used for procurement, and make sure that we restrict the items that are allowed to be bought using city funds. There is no reason why the NYPD should be allowed to buy military-grade equipment and use that against New Yorkers.