Two key pols have come out against a deal on controversial police reform legislation.
City Councilmen Jumaane Williams and Brad Lander said they’d oppose one of the bills in the Right to Know Act, which would require cops to identify themselves with business cards when they stop people and state the reason for the stop.
Under a compromise with the NYPD and the de Blasio administration, the rules will only apply to stops based on a suspicion of criminal activity. Traffic stops also won’t be covered.
The deal, opposed by police unions, has also sparked a backlash from police reform advocates who say it doesn’t go far enough.
Williams and Lander, both Brooklyn Democrats, said Thursday they would oppose the bill.
“Essential elements have been watered down and stripped out, including the majority of police-civilian stops, as well as traffic stops. Removing these provisions strikes at the heart of what the original Right to Know Act aimed to accomplish,” they said in a joint statement.
The other bill in the package would require police to tell people they have the right to refuse certain searches and get proof of their consent. Both bills are expected to go up for a vote next week.
A dozen family members of New Yorkers killed by cops and 60 advocacy groups including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and NYCLU also came out against the identification bill.
“If this NYPD proposal moves towards a vote, we urge all Council members to vote against it,” they said.
