This unsafe law passed by a City Council that had previously defunded the NYPD, now attempts to force our cops to do clerical work rather than keep criminals off our streets. This fatuous and negligent law handcuffs NYPD officers by requiring them to keep meticulous records of essentially all interactions they have with civilians, even helping someone asking for directions and irrespective of the fact that our police already have body cameras and requirements to record any interaction of “reasonable suspicion.”

On Friday, Mayor Adams vetoed this nonsensical legislation, stating it would be “extremely detrimental to public safety.” Yet City Council leaders immediately vowed to override the Mayor’s veto. 

While these career politicians try to score cheap sound bites by boding this law as a way of “increasing police transparency,” communities across New York City are left to deal with the plague of violent crimes and hate crimes, while criminals feel safer on our streets than law-abiding citizens.

“We are already thousands of cops short. Response times to critical incidents have already increased by nearly two minutes – that includes shots fired calls, where every second counts,” Patrick Hendry, head of the Police Benevolent Association union, said on the legislation. 

By passing this law, the majority of the New York City Council made a statement that they are anti-public safety – threatening New York City’s future. As a result, New York State must step in.

As a father and lifelong community advocate for South Brooklyn, I’m sick of the false promises and baseless lip service. As a candidate for the NYS Assembly, I intend to propose a plan that (1) strengthens public safety by supporting the police with more resources, (2) stiffens penalties and advances policies that address rising hate crimes in New York City, and (3) preventing the use of schools and community spaces from being used as migrant shelters. 

In a time with so much uncertainty as it relates to public safety in NYC, the last thing the City Council should do is make the jobs of NYPD officers more difficult than they already are. 

We must lean on supporting the officers who risk their lives every day to keep us safe by investing in programs that promote public safety and by allowing the NYPD to do their jobs to keep us safe. Anything to the contrary is a disservice to our city and our communities. 

About Joey Saban: Joey Saban is a Democratic candidate for the New York State Assembly, running to represent Assembly District 45 in Southern Brooklyn. Joey Cohen Saban, born and raised in South Brooklyn, is a first-generation American with a proud Sephardic Jewish heritage. Joey is an active member of the board of the Sephardic Community Federation and an ardent community activist in his South Brooklyn community, who volunteers in food pantries and works with community shareholders to promote safe neighborhoods and strengthening police relations.