NEW YORK CITY — Major reforms to end solitary confinement and require NYPD officers to file police reports on low-level stops passed the City Council, despite Mayor Eric Adams’ objections.
The twin approvals Wednesday afternoon followed days of vocal opposition by Adams, including the promise of a veto, and others that one lawmaker decried as “hysterics and misinformation.”
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who had a significant role in both pieces of legislation, said the objections to the long-awaited solitary confinement bill don’t match what it accomplishes.
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People who are detained can still be separate or even isolated from those who do harm to themselves or others, he said.
“What it does prevent is the isolation that is known for torture and known as torture for hours at a time that causes a physical toll that is lifelong,” he said.
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But the “How Many Stops Act” — which requires police to make reports on what the NYPD calls Level 1 and 2 investigative stops — drew the most fire.
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is not related to the mayor, blasted the “significant miscommunication” about the bill circulated in meetings and the media that led to people “opposing things that aren’t even in the legislation.”
She listed many low-level that will not require additional reports, despite what opponents have claimed.
“This is not when officers have casual conversations or interactions with civilians or community members about their families, their communities or about their weekends,” she said. “It is not when an officer gives directions to a tourist, asks a local bodega owner about the Knicks game or help someone to get across the street.”
Council Member Alexa Avilés called it a “good government” bill designed to increase transparency for the NYPD. She noted that New Yorkers have died in the low-level stops for which the bill will require reports.
“We need this data,” she said.
After the vote, Avilés tweeted that the legislation passed with a veto-proof majority.
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