The City Council once again takes aim at the NYPD with a bill that would force officers to perform blood-alcohol tests in cases of injury or death after using a weapon, even though it is already part of the department's procedures. proposed.
The bill, introduced this week by City Councilman Yousef Salam, a member of the acquitted Central Park Five and chairman of the Public Safety Committee, drew immediate ire from police unions who called it pointless.
“We face police staffing shortages, a violent recidivism crisis and dozens of other pressing public safety issues,” Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association, said in a statement.
“But instead of solving those problems, this bill is trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist.”
Alcohol testing after a shooting incident has been NYPD policy and practice for many years and is already included in the department's patrol guide.
But Salaam argued that the proposal to change the city's administrative code to include this requirement would prevent NYPD leadership from circumventing the guidelines.
“Codifying this requirement into law makes it clear that this practice is not discretionary,” he said.
Salaam gave no examples of NYPD leadership “changing or removing” the guidelines.
“There is not a single incident that has occurred that would justify this bill,” Hendry said.
“This serves no purpose other than to baselessly undermine public perception of police officers,” he added.
But Salaam insisted the bill does not “question the integrity” of the NYPD, adding that “accountability is not a sign of distrust.”
His bill, introduced at Thursday's City Council meeting, would require Police Chief Jessica Tisch to establish specific times when people must take a BAC test after a fatal shooting, as well as a list of possible exemptions. .
It is unclear how much support the proposal received.
The NYPD did not respond to requests for comment.
This comes after the City Council passed another law last year that added to the burden on officers.
The controversial How Many Stops Act, which lawmakers pushed through over a veto by Mayor Eric Adams, requires police to fill out forms even when they pass a New Yorker. It took effect in July.
The mandate, which went into effect in July, has already cost taxpayers more than $1.4 million in overtime in just three months, a top New York City police officer testified at a City Council oversight hearing this week.
This echoes the city council's past criticism of police departments over overtime costs.
In March, City Council President Adrian Adams slammed the New York Police Department amid estimates that overtime costs this fiscal year would reach $740 million, the highest in 10 years.
