Jumaane Williams Calls for More Oversight of NYPD

Flatbush Councilman Jumaane Williams (D-45) and Park Slope Councilman Brad Lander (D-39) co-wrote an editorial in the Daily News this past Sunday in support of the Community Safety Act which creates an inspector general for the NYPD, “an oversight body that exists for every other major New York City and federal agency.”

Between 2002 and 2011, the number of stops — more than half of which produced frisks last year — skyrocketed by over 600% (from 97,296 to 685,724), overwhelmingly targeting African-Americans and Latinos. Yet the number of shootings has remained constant. This is not surprising, since guns are only found in 0.1% of stops.

The pair said that Muslim Americans and women and children in public housing are unfairly targeted by police as well.

At the FBI and CIA, and in cities around the country, inspectors general have helped law enforcement agencies improve unwise policies. Other times, IG investigations have shown that an agency under fire was actually in the right.

Every government agency needs independent oversight. And they all have it — including the City Council, which is covered by an inspector general at the city’s Department of Investigation.

The only agency immune to such third-party scrutiny is the one that interacts with New Yorkers in countless sensitive situations every day: the NYPD.

Bloomberg has come out as strongly against the idea, calling it the politicization of policing.

“The last thing we need is some politician or judge getting involved with setting policy, because you won’t be safe anymore. But today, you are. Think about that when you write your story,” Bloomberg added.

Photo: Current.com