NYCLU on Mayor’s Veto of Key Part of How Many Stops Act

NEW YORK CITY – Today Mayor Adams vetoed a recently-passed bill that comprised a critical component of the How Many Stops Act and would have required a comprehensive accounting of all New York Police Department civilian stops and investigative encounters. In response the New York Civil Liberties Union released the following statement attributable to Executive Director Donna Lieberman:

“Mayor Adams’s veto of a key pillar of the How Many Stops Act is an affront to transparent and accountable policing by the nation’s largest police force. Black and Brown New Yorkers continue to be disproportionately subjected to humiliating stops by the New York Police Department with inadequate public oversight.

“The Mayor fails to acknowledge the scale and scope of the NYPD’s stops and their potential to violate people’s rights and dignity, particularly young men of color who the NYPD targets. His veto puts another stain on an administration that has been winding back checks on hyper-aggressive, biased, and unaccountable policing.

“We hope the City Council will heed the call of impacted New Yorkers and advocates and override the Mayor’s veto. The How Many Stops Act will improve the lives of all New Yorkers by advancing NYPD transparency, helping to expose abusive and discriminatory conduct, and moving us closer to accountable policing.”