Requires the New York State Office of Mental Health to study the effects that awareness of or exposure to police shootings or killings of unarmed African Americans has on the mental health of African Americans in New York state and to deliver a finding of the results of such study to the governor and the legislative leaders.
This bill authorizes Rockland County to add two separate sales and use tax rates through 2027. It allows a 0.625% (five-eighths of one percent) tax from March 2022 to November 2027, and an additional 0.375% (three-eighths of one percent) tax starting March 2027. The revenue from these taxes must be distributed to towns and villages: 20% based on population during the first period, and 16.67% to 33.33% based on police department staffing during the second period. The funds cannot be used for salaries of police officers or other existing wage agreements.
This New York bill prohibits law enforcement officers and agencies from using cell-site simulators - devices that mimic cell towers to track phones without consent. It directly affects law enforcement (including police officers and agencies) and individuals whose phone data might be collected through these devices. Key provisions ban the use, acquisition, or third-party agreements involving such technology, require illegally obtained evidence to be suppressed in court, and allow affected individuals to sue for up to $5,000 per violation or actual damages. The law also permits class-action lawsuits and awards legal fees to successful plaintiffs.
This bill requires firearm manufacturers shipping weapons into New York to include a sealed container with each firearm containing a shell casing discharged from that weapon. It also mandates gunsmiths and dealers to submit these casings to the state police within 10 days if manufacturers fail to comply, or obtain them through a state-operated program. The state police will maintain an automated database storing ballistic information to help match shell casings to specific firearms during investigations. This expands the current database to cover all firearms defined in the penal law, including rifles and assault weapons, directly affecting manufacturers, dealers, and law enforcement.
Requires the office of special investigation to conclude investigations into alleged criminal offenses committed by police officers resulting in a death and issue a report within sixty days.
This bill amends New York's penal law to explicitly include "on-duty auxiliary police officers" within the legal definition of assault in the second degree. It directly affects auxiliary police officers by ensuring that injuring them while they're performing duties is treated as assault in the second degree, aligning their protection with that of regular police officers and other first responders. The key change is adding auxiliary officers to the list of protected personnel in the statute, without creating new penalties or altering existing legal standards for assault.
Provides for certain victim statements to be taken at their workplace instead of the police department where such workplace was the scene of the crime and is a hospital, emergency medical facility, nursing home or residential health care facility.
Prohibits handcuffing or forcibly restraining children age twelve and under unless such child presents a danger to such child, the officer or others; limits warrantless arrests of persons under age eighteen except where the arrest is necessary for public safety; establishes a twenty-four hour hotline for police officers to consult with youth social services personnel and attorneys regarding interactions with children and adolescents.
This bill establishes new felony crimes for reckless endangerment of emergency service personnel, including firefighters, police officers, and building inspectors. It defines "reckless endangerment in the second degree" as knowingly altering a building without a required permit, violating building or fire codes in a way that impedes exit, and this conduct results in injury to an emergency service person during an emergency evacuation. The crime becomes "first degree" if the same actions lead to the death of an emergency service person or if the offender has a previous conviction for this offense within ten years. These offenses are classified as Class E and Class D felonies, respectively.
This bill (A 2628) establishes a dedicated state fund to provide bullet-proof vests for police officers and canine units. It creates a new "bullet-proof vests for officers fund" managed by the state comptroller, funded through voluntary taxpayer contributions added to income tax returns (starting 2026), existing transfers, and gifts. The fund specifically allocates money to the Division of Criminal Justice Services for purchasing vests, which are distributed at the commissioner’s discretion following statewide guidelines. The bill does not mandate taxes but allows taxpayers to donate directly via their state tax forms, with all funds restricted solely to this purpose.
