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 It was finally repealed following the 2020 George Floyd protests.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
Citizens Union Calls on Charter Revision Commissions to Implement Bold Reforms to Strengthen Democracy and Government Accountability
February 24, 2025 - Citizens Union today released a new report urging both New York City Charter Revision Commissions to take decisive action to strengthen democracy and enhance government accountability. The report, published ahead of Citizens Union’s testimony before the Mayoral Commission this evening, calls for comprehensive reforms, including establishing a process to remove mayors for misconduct, implementing top-two open primary elections, moving city elections to even-numbered years, and expanding the powers and independence of the Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB).
Group Memo of Support for Intro 1020-2024, Strengthening the NYPD Office of the Inspector General
January 28, 2025 - Citizens Union joined several civic groups to urge the Council to pass Intro 1020-2024 (Brewer) to strengthen the NYPD Office of the Inspector General (the OIG) so that it can fulfill its purpose of providing independent and effective oversight of the NYPD.
Testimony before the Council Oversight Committee on the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD
January 29, 2025 - Citizens Union comments on the Department of Investigation’s Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD and Intro. 1020-2024
Statement from Citizens Union in Response to Resignation of NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey
December 21, 2024 - Citizens Union issues the following statement from Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum in response to the resignation of NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey
Watchdogs Support NY Post FOIL Lawsuit Requesting Police Disciplinary Records Prior to June 2020
December 6, 2024 - Watchdog groups Reinvent Albany, Citizens Union, and Common Cause NY submitted an amicus brief to the New York State Court of Appeals supporting the New York Post’s lawsuit seeking the public disclosure of police disciplinary records created prior to June 2020, when the state law repealing §50-a of the Civil Rights Law took effect. The groups advocate for open and accountable government in New York, including strengthening the state’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), and supported the repeal of 50-a in 2022.
Citizens Union’s Positions on the 2024 Ballot Proposals
October 10, 2024 - write-ups of CU's positions on the 2024 ballot proposals. We recommend a YES vote on Proposal 1 and a NO vote on Proposal 2-6
Citizens Union Responds to the Resignation of NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban
September 12, 2024 - Citizens Union has issued the following statement from Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum in response to the resignation of NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban
Citizens Union Report Finds Ample Opportunities for Public Input on Public Safety Bills in the City Council
July 8, 2024 - There is already ample opportunity for the public to comment on Public Safety bills before the New York City Council, according to a comprehensive analysis released today by Citizens Union. The report found that there were no major differences in time awarded for input on public safety bills compared with other bills; that the current Council does not provide less time for public input on public safety bills compared to previous Councils; and that high-profile public safety bills that drove the conversation took longer to approve than many other contentious bills.
Citizens Union Responds to ProPublica and The New York Times Report Outlining a Misuse of Disciplinary Rules by NYPD Leadership
June 28, 2024 - Citizens Union has released the following statement from Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum in response to the ProPublica and The New York Times joint report on NYPD disciplinary practices
Testimony before the 2024 Charter Revision Commission – Public Safety Hearing
June 20, 2024 - Citizens Union has been studying police accountability and performance in New York City for more than a decade, and many of our recommendations have been implemented. We believe 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.
Citizens Union, Other Good Government Groups Call on City Council to Reject Budget Cuts to New York City Oversight Agencies in the Mayor’s FY24 Executive Budget
May 24, 2023 - Citizens Union, along with Common Cause, League of Women Voters of the City of New York, NYPIRG, and Reinvent Albany, sent a letter to Council Speaker Adams and several committee chairs expressing concerns over Mayor Eric Adams' proposed significant budgetary reductions to key oversight agencies
Citizens Union, Other Good Government Groups Call on City Council to Protect Funding for Oversight Agencies
March 29, 2023 - Citizens Union and other groups sent a letter to Council Speaker Adams and several committee chairs expressing concerns over the preliminary budget proposed by Mayor Eric Adams for Fiscal Year 2024, which includes significant budgetary reductions to key oversight agencies of New York City government. The groups believe that reducing agencies' resources and personnel will severely hinder their ability to ensure accountability, ethics, and good governance across the municipal workforce, and prevent waste and corruption.