THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

OFFICE OF COUNCIL MEMBER 

JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS
 
MAYOR SIGNS WILLIAMS' USE OF FORCE AND 
ENERGY CODE BILLS
(L-R) Mayor Bill de Blasio, Council Member Jumaane D. Williams, Veteran Affairs Commissioner Loree Sutton, Council Member Andy King. 
Photo Credit: Mayor's Office 

NEW YORK, NY:  Today, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Intro. 1169-A and Intro. 606 into law. Sponsored by  Council Member Jumaane D. Williams  (D-Brooklyn), Deputy Leader, Intro. 1169-A will conform the New York City energy conservation code to the New York State energy code, with amendments unique to construction in the City. Intro. 606 requires the New York Police Department (NYPD) issue quarterly reports on use of force incidents and their relationship to quality of life offenses. 

The bills were signed alongside seven other pieces of legislation. These bills include:

Int. 539-A - A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the police department to publish quarterly and annual reports relating to use of force incidents
 
Int. 697-A - A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the regulation of laundries and to repeal subchapter 14 of chapter 2 of title 20 of such code, relating to the regulation of laundries
 
Int. 824-A - A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the police department to report in relation to deployment
 
Int. 1026-A - A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of probation to evaluate the effectiveness of programs it utilizes
 
Int. 1063-A - A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring lactation rooms in certain locations providing services to the public
 
Int. 1142-A - A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of probation to report on recidivism and related statistics
 
Int. 1227 - A Local Law in relation to the naming of 65 thoroughfares and public places

Council Member Williams'  Intro. 1169-A conforms the City's energy code to adopt provisions in the New York State energy code. 

"New York consistently strives to serve as a paradigm of energy conservation innovation, while decreasing its ultimate impact to the environment,"  said Council Member Williams, Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings. "Updating the City's energy code will go a long way in accomplishing our goal of decreasing the City's carbon footprint."

This legislation is one of a series of efforts made by the Administration to increase the City's energy efficiency.

In April, Mayor De Blasio announced OneNYC, a series of new energy efficiency initiatives aimed at dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the City's roughly one million buildings. The initiatives will require and catalyze retrofits in existing buildings and support innovative energy design and performance for new buildings and major renovations.

Council Member Williams introduced Intro. 606 after the death of Eric Garner in 2014. Eric Garner died on July 17, 2014 in Staten Island after a police officer placed him in a chokehold, while arresting him for selling cigarettes.

" I wanted more information from the police department on the use of force when it comes to offenses such as those alleged to have been committed by Mr. Garner," said Council Member Williams. "This bill will shed light on the basis for police officers approaching, or engaging in a police interaction with a New Yorker."

Intros. 539 and 824, compliment Intro. 606.

Intro. 539, sponsored by Council Member Rory Lancman, requires the NYPD to provide a quarterly report on the number of use of force incidents disaggregated by:
  • type of force used,
  • precinct or unit of the officer that used force, 
  • whether the officer was on or off duty when the force was used
In addition, the bill would require the department to report on the number of injuries to an officer or civilian resulting from a police and civilian interaction involving a use of force incident, and the severity of those injuries. 

Finally, the department would be required to annually provide a report on the uses of force found to be excessive by the department. These excessive uses of force would be disaggregated by:
  • type of force used, including whether a firearm was used,
  • precinct to which such officer was assigned, 
  • whether such officer was on duty, 
  • the outcome of any departmental charges brought against such officer
Intro. 824  , sponsored by  Council Member Deborah Rose ,   requires the NYPD to post an annual report of the total number and percentage of officers in each precinct that:
  • have two or more substantiated Civilian Complaint Review Board complaints in the last 3 calendar years; 
  • have been the subject of an Internal Affairs Bureau investigation that resulted in a suspension in the last 5 years; 
  • used excessive force in the last 3 years; or 
  • have been arrested in the last 10 years for police-related behavior
"When combined with legislation by Council Members Lancman and Rose, we'll get further information on overall use of force, along with additional reporting on the location of officers, who have received the highest number of civilian complaints. We will also be able to identify officers who are frequently named in civil action lawsuits because of alleged police brutality,"  said Council Member Williams. "  It is my hope that as we move toward improved police-community relations, the data gleaned from these new reports will help us understand overall use of force guidelines, including their relation to quality of life offenses, and open up opportunities to deescalate altercations where at all possible." 

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