Criminal Justice (Policing)

S 5118 amends New York's criminal procedure law to expand when police can issue appearance tickets (instead of making an arrest) for certain minor offenses, while adding specific exceptions requiring an arrest. It mandates arrests for cases involving domestic violence, hate crimes, weapons on school grounds, or when a person needs immediate medical care. The bill also introduces a new "pre-arraignment bail" option for defendants who post cash to secure court appearances after an arrest. These changes directly affect police officers, defendants, and courts by altering initial steps in criminal proceedings for eligible cases.

Requires policing agencies to conduct an inventory of, and develop a publicly-available policy for, any artificial intelligence used to aid criminal investigations.