Bill Text: NY A03978 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Prohibits police officers from using bias-based profiling; requires that a procedure be established for the taking and review of complaints against police officers for bias-based profiling; allows an action for injunctive relief and/or damages to be brought against a law enforcement agency, any agent of a law enforcement agency and the supervisor of an agent.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 41-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-11 - amended on third reading 3978b [A03978 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-A03978-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3978--B Cal. No. 104 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY February 8, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. BICHOTTE HERMELYN, PEOPLES-STOKES, AUBRY, WALKER, COOK, PRETLOW, DINOWITZ, HEVESI, L. ROSENTHAL, REYES, ZEBROWSKI, BARRETT, SIMON, DICKENS, ROZIC, EPSTEIN, COLTON, HUNTER, SEAWRIGHT, GLICK, WILLIAMS, TAYLOR, VANEL, OTIS, BRONSON, CARROLL, CRUZ, HYNDMAN, JACOBSON, RAMOS, STECK, THIELE, KIM, ZINERMAN, JACKSON, GONZALEZ-RO- JAS, LAVINE, KELLES, GIBBS, ARDILA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes -- ordered to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place on the order of third reading -- again amended on third reading, ordered reprinted, retaining its place on the order of third reading AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to bias-based profiling The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 837-y 2 to read as follows: 3 § 837-y. Bias-based profiling. 1. For the purposes of this section: 4 (a) "Law enforcement agency" means an agency established by the state 5 or a unit of local government engaged in the prevention, detection, or 6 investigation of violations of criminal law. 7 (b) "Law enforcement officer" means a police officer or peace officer, 8 as defined in subdivisions thirty-three and thirty-four of section 1.20 9 of the criminal procedure law, employed by a law enforcement agency. 10 (c) "Bias-based profiling" means the reliance, to any degree, on actu- 11 al or perceived race, color, ethnicity, national origin, immigration or 12 citizenship status, age, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual 13 orientation, mental or physical disability, socioeconomic status, or 14 housing status in selecting which persons to subject to stops, in 15 selecting which locations to subject persons to stops, or in deciding 16 the scope or substance of law enforcement action against a person, 17 except that an officer may consider or rely on characteristics listed in EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD07238-10-4A. 3978--B 2 1 a specific suspect description relevant to the locality and timeframe 2 and based on trustworthy information. 3 (d) "Reportable encounter" means the following activities by a law 4 enforcement officer: 5 (i) The stop of a vehicle that, based on a totality of the circum- 6 stances, would make a reasonable person feel that they are not free to 7 leave or otherwise terminate the encounter; 8 (ii) The stop of a pedestrian that, based on a totality of the circum- 9 stances, would make a reasonable person feel that they are not free to 10 leave or otherwise terminate the encounter; 11 (iii) Frisks and other types of body searches; and 12 (iv) Consensual or nonconsensual searches of persons, property or 13 possessions (including vehicles) of individuals. 14 (e) "Political subdivision" means any county, municipality, depart- 15 ment, commission, district, board, or other public body, whether corpo- 16 rate or otherwise, created by or under state law, that has a law 17 enforcement agency or employs law enforcement officers. 18 2. Every law enforcement agency and every law enforcement officer 19 shall be prohibited from engaging in bias-based profiling. 20 3. Every law enforcement agency shall promulgate and adopt a written 21 policy which prohibits bias-based profiling. The policy shall be made 22 publicly available. In addition, each such agency shall promulgate and 23 adopt procedures for the review and the taking of corrective action with 24 respect to complaints by individuals who allege that they have been the 25 subject of bias-based profiling. The policy shall be made publicly 26 available. In a manner determined by the division in consultation with 27 the attorney general, a copy of each such complaint received pursuant to 28 this section and written notification of the review and disposition of 29 such complaint shall be promptly provided by such agency to the divi- 30 sion. As set forth in subdivision eleven of this section, and at least 31 once annually thereafter, every law enforcement agency shall review the 32 data it has collected pursuant to subdivision four of this section to 33 ensure that its procedures, practices, and training effectively address 34 and prohibit bias-based profiling. 35 4. Each law enforcement agency shall, using a form to be determined 36 by the division in consultation with the attorney general, record and 37 retain the following incident-specific information for each reportable 38 encounter with respect to law enforcement officers employed by such 39 agency: 40 (a) the number of persons stopped; 41 (b) whether the person stopped was in a vehicle at the time of the 42 stop; 43 (c) the characteristics of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, 44 religion, age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, and 45 mental or physical disability of each such person, provided the iden- 46 tification of such characteristics shall be based on the observation and 47 perception of the officer responsible for initiating the stop and the 48 information shall not be required to be provided by the person stopped; 49 (d) whether the person stopped appeared to have limited or no English 50 fluency; 51 (e) whether the person stopped appeared to be experiencing a mental or 52 behavioral crisis; 53 (f) whether the officer perceived the person stopped to be experienc- 54 ing homelessness; 55 (g) if a vehicle was stopped, the number of individuals in the stopped 56 vehicle;A. 3978--B 3 1 (h) if a vehicle was stopped, whether the officer ordered any person 2 to exit the vehicle; 3 (i) the reason the stop was initiated; 4 (j) if a search was conducted, whether the search was of a person, a 5 person's property and/or a person's vehicle, whether the search was 6 conducted pursuant to consent, the basis for conducting the search 7 including any alleged criminal behavior that justified the search, and 8 what, if any, contraband or evidence was discovered; 9 (k) whether an inventory search of such person's impounded vehicle was 10 conducted; 11 (l) if a search was conducted, whether the officer seized any property 12 and, if so, the type and amount of property that was seized and the 13 basis for the seizure; 14 (m) whether a police dog performed a sniff and, if so, whether the dog 15 alerted to the presence of contraband; 16 (n) whether the officer handcuffed or otherwise physically restrained 17 any person during the stop; 18 (o) whether a warning or citation was issued and, if so, the violation 19 or violations cited; 20 (p) whether an arrest was made and, if so, for what charge or charges; 21 (q) whether the officer used physical force against any person and, if 22 so, the type of force used; 23 (r) whether the officer pointed a firearm or electronic control weapon 24 at any person; 25 (s) whether the encounter resulted in a vehicle or foot pursuit; 26 (t) the approximate duration of the stop; 27 (u) the date, time and location of the stop; and 28 (v) the following information about the officer initiating the stop: 29 (i) the type of assignment to which the officer was assigned; 30 (ii) the officer's years of experience; and 31 (iii) the total number of arrests the officer has made in the past 32 twelve months. 33 5. Each political subdivision covered by this section shall furnish to 34 the division, in a manner that shall be defined and prescribed by the 35 division in consultation with the attorney general, a report which shall 36 include: 37 (a) the total amount spent in the prior year, either by the political 38 subdivision or by any entity on behalf of such political subdivision, on 39 settlements and judgments involving an allegation of law enforcement 40 misconduct, including settlements reached before any lawsuit has been 41 filed, and that shall be broken down by individual settlement or judg- 42 ment, shall specify whether a settlement or judgment is being described, 43 and shall include at a minimum: 44 (i) a brief description of the allegation or claim; 45 (ii) the portion of the settlement or judgment paid directly by the 46 political subdivision; 47 (iii) the portion, if any, paid by insurance, or by a central risk 48 management fund or pool; and 49 (iv) if any portion of the settlement or judgment is paid with bonds, 50 the amount of such bonds, as well as the total future cost of such 51 bonds, including any interest and fees; 52 (b) the total amount, if any, spent on any insurance premiums paid by 53 the political subdivision for insurance against law enforcement miscon- 54 duct;A. 3978--B 4 1 (c) the total amount, if any, that the political subdivision contrib- 2 uted to any central risk management fund or risk pool toward the settle- 3 ment of law enforcement misconduct claims; and 4 (d) any injunctive or declaratory relief awarded, or any comparable 5 terms in any settlement agreement. 6 6. The division, in consultation with the attorney general, shall 7 develop and promulgate: 8 (a) A form in both printed and electronic format, to be used by law 9 enforcement officers to record the information listed in subdivision 10 four of this section; and 11 (b) A form to be used to report complaints pursuant to subdivision 12 three of this section by individuals who believe they have been 13 subjected to bias-based profiling. 14 7. Every law enforcement agency shall promptly make available to the 15 attorney general, upon demand and notice, the documents required to be 16 produced and promulgated pursuant to subdivisions three, four, and five 17 of this section. 18 8. The attorney general may bring an action on behalf of the people 19 for injunctive relief and/or damages against a law enforcement agency 20 that is engaging in or has engaged in a pattern or practice of bias- 21 based profiling in a court having jurisdiction to issue such relief. The 22 court may award costs and reasonable attorney fees to the attorney 23 general who prevails in such an action. The attorney general may inves- 24 tigate and, if warranted, bring a civil action for equitable or declara- 25 tory relief against a law enforcement agency that fails to comply with 26 the remaining provisions of this section. 27 9. In addition to a cause of action brought pursuant to subdivision 28 eight of this section, an individual who has been the subject of an act 29 or acts of bias-based profiling may bring an action for injunctive 30 relief and/or damages against a law enforcement agency that is engaged 31 in or has engaged in an act or acts of bias-based profiling. The court 32 may award costs and reasonable attorney fees to a plaintiff who prevails 33 in such an action. In addition, an individual may bring a civil action 34 for equitable or declaratory relief against a law enforcement agency 35 that fails to comply with the remaining provisions of this section. 36 10. Nothing in this section shall be construed as diminishing or abro- 37 gating any right, remedy or cause of action which an individual who has 38 been subject to bias-based profiling may have pursuant to any other 39 provision of law. 40 11. Each law enforcement agency and political subdivision covered by 41 this section shall annually compile and furnish all data and information 42 collected pursuant to subdivisions four and five of this section in a 43 report to the division. The division, in consultation with the attorney 44 general, shall develop and implement a plan for a computerized data 45 system for public viewing of such data and shall publish an annual 46 report on data collected for the governor, the legislature, and the 47 public. Information released publicly shall not reveal the identity of 48 any individual. Any information received by the division shall be made 49 available to the attorney general upon request. Each law enforcement 50 agency and political subdivision covered by this section shall report 51 all information required by subdivisions four and five of this section 52 in accordance with the following schedule: 53 (a) each law enforcement agency that employs one thousand or more law 54 enforcement officers, and each political subdivision that has such an 55 agency, shall issue their first annual reports pursuant to subdivisionsA. 3978--B 5 1 four and five of this section no later than fourteen months after the 2 regulations promulgated pursuant to this section have been finalized; 3 (b) each law enforcement agency that employs four hundred or more but 4 less than one thousand law enforcement officers, and each political 5 subdivision that has such an agency, shall issue their first annual 6 reports pursuant to subdivisions four and five of this section no later 7 than two years after the regulations promulgated pursuant to this 8 section have been finalized; 9 (c) each law enforcement agency that employs fifty or more but less 10 than four hundred law enforcement officers, and each political subdivi- 11 sion that has such an agency, shall issue their first annual reports 12 pursuant to subdivisions four and five of this section no later than 13 three years after the regulations promulgated pursuant to this section 14 have been finalized; and 15 (d) each law enforcement agency that employs one or more but less than 16 fifty law enforcement officers, and each political subdivision that has 17 such an agency, shall issue their first annual reports pursuant to 18 subdivisions four and five of this section no later than four years 19 after the regulations promulgated pursuant to this section have been 20 finalized. 21 12. No later than one hundred eighty days after the effective date of 22 this section, the division, in consultation with the attorney general, 23 shall adopt regulations for the collection and reporting of data 24 required under this section, in a manner prescribed under section two 25 hundred two of the state administrative procedure act. The regulations 26 adopted shall specify all data to be reported, and provide standards, 27 definitions, and technical specifications not inconsistent with the 28 requirements of this section to ensure uniform reporting practices 29 across all reporting entities. To the extent possible, and consistent 30 with the requirements of this section, such regulations shall be compat- 31 ible with any similar federal data collection or reporting programs. 32 13. Any local legislative body may adopt local laws through local 33 order, and any law enforcement agency may prescribe rules and regu- 34 lations, that impose additional duties and requirements upon law 35 enforcement agencies or law enforcement officers provided such duties 36 and requirements are consistent with the provisions of this section. 37 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.