[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Citizens Union believes that the best way to ensure the safe and democratic application of policing is to strengthen and streamline systems of oversight and accountability, both within the NYPD and among the independent entities that monitor police misconduct. Public safety is dependent on New Yorkers having faith in law enforcement. 

Policing is an important, but hardly the sole, driver of whether those who live, work or visit the city or its communities feel safe. Citizens Union believes public safety is a broad problem that must be addressed through a number of agencies and a wide range of stakeholders. This approach requires a fundamental shift of emphasis, from over-reliance on the NYPD to a structured, multi-agency approach.

Citizens Union has been studying police accountability and performance in New York City for more than a decade. In reports and position statements since 2008, we have urged strengthening the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), highlighted how the NYPD downgrades discipline for police misconduct, addressed the overuse of “stop, question, and frisk”, and stressed the need for consistency across the police oversight system and the department’s internal procedures. Many of our recommendations have been implemented, including the 2012 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that granted prosecutorial power to the CCRB, which CU was instrumental in pushing for. We have also advocated for the State Legislature to repeal Section 50-a of the civil rights law, which prevented police disciplinary records from being made public. It was finally repealed following the 2020 George Floyd protests.

Citizens Union’s most recent reports on police reform, both published in 2021, detailed a new agenda to improve NYPD governance and accountability and provided recommendations for the then-incoming mayor to recalibrate the City’s approach to public safety and policing.

• March 2021: Agenda for Police Reform – Governance and Accountability 
• December 2021: Public Safety and Policing in New York City: Recommendations to the New Mayor

Recent Activity – Police Accountability 

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