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Communities that do not trust law enforcement are less safe. That means that law enforcement that does not work to earn that trust is working against the interest of public safety. This basic common sense—supported by near scientific consensus—is why we are so disappointed that Mayor Eric Adams just vetoed the How Many Stops Act (HMSA).
The HMSA consists of two bills that would simply require the NYPD to reveal how many people it stops and allow the community of New York to demand change based on those numbers. These basic provisions are already in place across states such as California, Connecticut, and Virginia. But, more importantly, they are the foundation of trust. Show your community what you do. Let them respond.
Mayor Adams’ decision is particularly disheartening for Black and Latinx communities who have faced the worst of the NYPD’s excesses in the past. And, given the national attention that the racial disparities in NYPD’s stop and frisk policies attracted—and the legal judgment that they were racially discriminatory and unconstitutional, failing to inform the public how many people officers stop is hard to stomach.
The HMSA passed with a veto-proof majority. We hope that voting block overrides Mayor Adams’ decision, bringing needed relief to communities across New York and setting an example for progress that can be made towards safety and justice at the same time.
