New Law Targeting NYPD Officers Celebrated by Democrats, ACLU

After enduring an Islamist bombing attack in the largest city in the United States, police sources say that clearer details are helping them to understand the attack and the suspected Islamist behind the IED (improvised explosive device) bombing in the passengers’ corridor between the Times Square and 42nd Street subway trains and the Port Authority Bus Terminal Monday morning.

The explosion, which happened around 7:30 a.m. in a passageway under 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, triggered a massive emergency response by the NYPD and FDNY both above and below ground, tangling subway and bus service. The city’s Mayor Bill de Blasio described it as a terror-related incident.

Not even a month passed before the City of New York’s leftist Mayor, city council and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) celebrated the passing of a bill designed to target New York police officers and weaken their authority.

On Tuesday, December 19, the New York City Council approved the  ‘The Right to Know Act ‘ which directs NYPD officers to identify themselves during non-emergency encounters.   The council voted 37-13 in favor of the bill.

The act, made up of two police reform bills, mandates that an officer must provide his or her name, rank and command. The officer also must hand out business cards when there is no arrest or summons.

Officers are also mandated to get recorded audio or written consent  before they are allowed to search a person they stop without a legal basis.

While the city’s Democratic Party-run government applauded these latest provisions designed to limit the power of law enforcement, others such as the ACLU claim that the new requirement is an encouraging first step in controlling the powers given to local cops.

PBA president Patrick J. Lynch said:

“Today the City Council chose politics over public safety by passing two pieces of harmful legislation. As we’ve said from the beginning, the ‘Right to Know’ bills will discourage police officers from proactively addressing the threat of crime and terrorism — a threat that is no doubt growing based on recent events. The PBA had zero input on the revisions to this legislation, and if the Council really didn’t want to discourage officers from exercising discretion and policing proactively, they would have abandoned these misguided bills altogether. But instead, they have continuously piled on new burdens and second–guessing for our police officers, presenting a dangerous distraction that will place New Yorkers in harm’s way. Now the responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of the Council and the Mayor. New York City police officers will always continue to do their jobs to prevent crime and terror. But with this legislation our city leaders have failed all of us.”

“It is almost unthinkable in our current environment that we would discourage police officers from proactively addressing the threats of crime and terrorism, but that is precisely what the ‘Right to Know’ bills would accomplish. Yesterday, for the second time in as many months, we were targeted for a terrorist attack. It is only thanks to the continuous, proactive efforts of NYPD members that even greater tragedies have been averted. Unfortunately, even as we face this dangerous reality for our city, there remains — especially from some members of our City Council — a continuous piling on of new burdens and second–guessing for our police officers. Despite the revisions, the ‘Right to Know’ bills are still harmful pieces of legislation that present a dangerous distraction from the very real threats to our city. We urge the members of the City Council, as well as the Mayor and all our city leaders, to take a strong stand against any such measure that would unquestionably place New Yorkers and police officers in harm’s way.”