CONTACT: Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org 

VOCAL-NY CALLS FOR HOW MANY STOPS ACT FOLLOWING INCREASE IN NYPD’S STOP AND FRISK TACTICS

NEW YORK — Following reports that NYPD “pedestrian stops increased about 70%” under the Adams’ administration, VOCAL-NY released the following quote, attributable to Susan Hadley and Jon McFarlane, VOCAL-NY Leaders:

“It comes as no surprise that police stops have increased significantly under the Adams’ administration. These stops continue to disproportionately impact Black, Brown, and low income people. Stop and frisk is rooted in racism and classism, and although data show the NYPD’s use of the practice has decreased over the past decade, any use remains a violation of our constitutional rights and a threat to our lives. And we know the data is dangerously incomplete. That is why it is vital that the City Council pass the How Many Stops Act so that we can have a complete picture of how police are showing up in our communities.”

BACKGROUND:

The How Many Stops Act will bring critical and urgent transparency to the NYPD’s daily activities in New York City communities. It consists of two common sense, good government bills that will require a comprehensive accounting of all NYPD street stops, investigative encounters, and consent searches – including for the purposes of DNA collection – and ensure that the hard won Right to Know Act is protected. The data collected via these two bills is crucial for completing the picture of what policing really looks like in our City. 

Intro. 586: Reporting on All NYPD Stops and Investigative Encounters, sponsored by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Councilmember Alexa Aviles, will require the NYPD to report on all levels of police street stops and investigative encounters, including where they happen, demographic information on the person stopped, the reason for the encounter, and whether the encounter leads to any use of force or enforcement action.

Intro 538: Reporting on all police consent searches, sponsored by Councilmember Crystal Hudson, will provide New Yorkers will a full picture of the NYPD’s use of consent searches in our communities and shed light on whether or not the NYPD is adhering to Right to Know Act requirements by:

• Guaranteeing that the NYPD cannot go back on its promise to report on declined searches by explicitly codifying a requirement for the NYPD to report data on all requests for consent to search, including all requests for consent that are refused and all consent searches that actually take place.
• Requiring the NYPD to report on officers’ use of consent searches to collect DNA information from New Yorkers.
• Requiring the NYPD to report on its officers’ use of interpretation services when seeking consent to search from people with limited English proficiency.

Police transparency is an essential measure for holding NYPD accountable for discriminatory and abusive policing practices that criminalize and harm New Yorkers, in particular Black, Latinx and other New Yorkers of color, and make all New Yorkers less safe. The City Council must pass the How Many Stops Act! Ensuring greater NYPD transparency and accountability is fundamental to building a safer city for all New Yorkers. 

Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) is currently organizing a series of training on the How Many Stops Act.

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