Relates to pretrial mental health and substance abuse evaluations and treatment for certain defendants; establishes the pretrial mental health and substance abuse services bail fund.
Includes a police or peace officer turning off their body camera or deleting a body camera recording in the crime of tampering with physical evidence and obstructing governmental administration.
S 6567 prohibits New York law enforcement agencies and officers from using cell-site simulators - devices that mimic cell towers to track phones without warrants. It directly affects residents whose phone data could be collected without legal authorization and law enforcement agencies operating in New York. The bill creates a private right to sue for violations, allowing affected individuals to seek $5,000 per violation or actual damages, plus attorney fees. Evidence obtained using these devices is inadmissible in court, and the law defines prohibited surveillance technology broadly to include such devices. The measure takes effect immediately upon enactment.
This bill prohibits all law enforcement agencies from using chemical incapacitants (like tear gas or similar agents) except for pepper spray under strict limits. Specifically, pepper spray is restricted to liquid canisters no larger than 0.75 ounces and cannot be used for crowd control. The law defines "law enforcement agency" broadly to include any unit authorized to investigate or arrest for felonies, and "chemical incapacitant" to cover toxic chemicals, munitions designed to cause harm, and related equipment. This directly affects all state and local law enforcement agencies by restricting their use of chemical agents during operations.
Requires law enforcement agents and peace officers to record information in their memo books pertaining to the race of persons with whom they have meaningful interactions.
Provides that no state or local correctional facility shall deny entry to a person visiting such facility due to the fact that such person is menstruating or has a contraceptive device or appears on body scan imaging or alternative methods to have or be using a menstrual product or contraceptive device.
This bill amends New York's penal law to explicitly include bias-motivated graffiti within the definition of hate crimes. It adds "making graffiti" (section 145.60) to the list of offenses that qualify as hate crimes when motivated by bias against a person's race, religion, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics. This change means graffiti displaying hate symbols or slurs targeting specific groups will now be prosecuted as hate crimes, not just vandalism. The policy directly affects individuals who create such graffiti and law enforcement handling these incidents. The bill expands existing hate crime protections to cover this specific form of expression without altering penalties for the underlying offense.
Bill A 8194 proposes to prohibit law enforcement officers and peace officers from inquiring about the immigration status of individuals who are victims or witnesses to a criminal offense. This measure aims to encourage victims and witnesses to report crimes without fear of their immigration status being questioned. Officers would only be permitted to ask about immigration status if it is directly necessary for investigating the criminal offense itself. The bill amends the executive law to establish this new prohibition.
Provides for the creation of an ebony alert system to be activated on behalf of Black youth who are reported missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances, at risk, developmentally disabled, or cognitively impaired, or who have been abducted.
Bill S 6456 expands eligibility for incarcerated individuals to participate in prison work release programs by extending the required proximity to parole or conditional release. Most participants will now be eligible three years, instead of two, prior to release, and those with certain violent offenses will be eligible thirty months, up from eighteen. The bill also extends this three-year eligibility to individuals convicted of homicide offenses related to domestic abuse by the victim. Furthermore, it prohibits the governor from issuing executive orders to exclude classes of otherwise eligible individuals and adds aggravated harassment of an employee by an incarcerated individual to the list of ineligible offenses.
