Read a PDF of our statement here.

Today, Mayor Eric Adams vetoed the Int. 586, part of the How Many Stops Act (HMSA) that would require the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to more fully document its investigative encounters.

The bill will be returned to the New York City Council, where it needs a two-thirds majority vote to override Mayor Adams’ veto and become law.

In response to this veto, Legal Defense Fund (LDF) Justice in Public Safety Project Legal Fellow David Moss made the following statement:

“For too long, the full breadth of the NYPD’s enforcement activities has been shrouded in secrecy and without accountability in ways that have resulted in disproportionate harm to Black communities. The How Many Stops is a critical step towards more transparency, especially for the communities most impacted by police abuse and violence. By vetoing this bill, Mayor Adams is standing in direct opposition to the transparency and accountability that New Yorkers need and want. We urge the City Council to swiftly override this veto and prioritize the will of New Yorkers.”

January 30, 2024 UPDATE: 

Today, the New York City Council voted to override Mayor Eric Adams’ veto on the How Many Stops Act. In response to this override, LDF Justice in Public Safety Project Legal Fellow David Moss made the following statement: 

“Ten years into the NYPD monitorship, we still see high rates of unlawful police encounters that disproportionately impact Black communities. New Yorkers deserve justice and equity in our public safety system. The How Many Stops Act brings us closer to that vision, and we commend the City Council for overriding the mayor’s veto and passing it into law today.”

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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights law organization. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.

 

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