Police Reform and the Race for NYC's New Leader
After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, powerful protests calling for police reform and racial justice spread across not only New York City, but the United States as a whole. The protests sparked a national conversation about the police and the criminal justice system as many American residents looked to their local leaders to take action.
Last June, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order—the New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative—that required local police agencies to re-evaluate their strategies and programs using community input. Since the order, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio has been under criticism for the lack of a concrete plan for the reform of the NYPD.
This year, as the city plans to elect a new mayor in November, police reform and criminal justice remains a high-stakes issue for candidates hoping to claim de Blasio’s office.
Notable candidates running for mayor include Andrew Yang, Eric Adams, Maya Wiley, and Scott Stringer.
While each candidate has similar, generally vague plans for police reform on their campaign websites, it is important to note their career backgrounds and the specific wording of their statements.
Andrew Yang, who built a sizable base of followers during the 2020 Presidential race, has previously backed policies such as Every Cop Gets A Camera, and the naming of a civilian commissioner of the NYPD.
Yang’s campaign website states that “We need the NYPD to fit into a larger criminal justice strategy. We also need more robust use of both technology and data to determine what is working. The Yang administration will expand “violence interrupter” programming to more neighborhoods and invest in different types of interventions and resources.”
Eric Adams, the current Borough President of Brooklyn, is a former NYPD and New York Transit Police officer.
On his campaign website, Adams’ states that “I called out racism in the department as an officer and formed 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement to push through reforms. And why I continued to call for change throughout my career, including the successful effort to stop the unlawful use of Stop-and-Frisk...We need the NYPD — we just need them to be better.”
Maya Wiley is known for her work as a lawyer, civil rights activist, and MSNBC commentator. From 2016-2017 she served as the board chair of the NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board, as well as counsel to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Because Wiley is known for her activism, her supporters look up to her for strong stances on criminal justice and gun reform policies, her website stating that: “As Mayor, Maya Wiley will launch a layered, multi-faceted gun violence reduction plan.”
Scott Stringer is currently serving as the 44th New York City Comptroller. He has also served as a New York State Assemblyman, the 26th borough president of Manhattan, and a legislative assistant to New York State Assemblyman and Congressman, Jerry Nadler.
Stringer’s campaign website states that “Under Scott’s leadership, the Comptroller’s Office has issued a detailed blueprint to transform our approach to public safety.” Stringer’s stated “blueprint” is written to include the cease of the climb of shootings and violence in communities, establishing meaningful oversight and accountability, implementing common-sense decriminalization measures and parole reform, and fixing the management of the NYPD.
The election for New York City’s new mayor in June is a critical one, not only for the purpose of local politics but also for the implementation of new policies surrounding criminal justice in the city. While each candidate has presented their general thoughts and ideas on the issue, full policies and plans have yet to be released. These details have widely been deemed necessary by undecided voters to make informed decisions about their next mayor.
