New York passes bill to investigate deaths by police

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The New York Legislature passed a law Wednesday to allow the attorney general to investigate and prosecute when someone dies during or after an encounter with a police officer.

The bill strengthens and enshrines Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2015 executive order authorizing a special prosecutor to investigate the deaths of unarmed people killed by police.

It’s the latest legislation passed by the Democratic-led Legislature in response to an uproar of calls for police accountability after the killing of George Floyd.

“The important momentum of what’s been happening in our streets — people many who look like me, many many who don’t, calling for us to make some changes,” said Democratic Senate Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who is the Senate’s first female and first black female majority leader. “How do I not have hope?”

“Sadly, we all know that there will be more moments that will shake us all to our core,” she continued. “But in this chamber, we also understand that our response to those moments will make all the difference.”

The passage of the legislation Wednesday came as the state’s Attorney General Letitia James announced that two advisers, former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and New York University law professor Barry Friedman, will help guide her ongoing investigation into interactions between the New York City Police Department and the public amid recent protests.

“The right to peacefully protest is one of our most basic civil rights, and we are working without rest to ensure that right is protected and guarded,” said James.

Lynch, a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, led the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigations into police misconduct in several large police department during her time as the nation’s attorney general. “It is time to examine recent events to ensure that all New Yorkers receive truly equal protection under the law,” she said.

As U.S. Attorney, Lynch took up a federal investigation into the 2014 police chokehold death of Eric Garner. The probe continued through Lynch’s tenure as Attorney General.

This week, state lawmakers passed bills to allow the release of long-withheld police disciplinary records, require state troopers to wear body cameras, ban chokeholds and create the felony crime of “aggravated strangulation.”

Another bill makes it easier to sue individuals who make spurious 911 calls based on another’s background, including race.

“Make no mistake, we know what we did was not a cure,” Stewart-Cousins said. “It’s a first step. It acknowledges that laws alone are important, but they can’t fix racism in America.”

The chokehold and body camera bills drew support from Republicans, who largely opposed the police records legislation for allowing the release of potentially false complaints against officers.

Cuomo, a Democrat, said he’ll sign the bills this week.