Recently we again saw a group of NYPD cops attempting to arrest a resisting individual as an unruly crowd attacks them.  The scene was an immigrant shelter on Randall’s Island, and the arrest seemed to take forever as multiple cops tried to cuff the man while being pelted with debris ranging from garbage to luggage.  

We have seen this dangerous situation play out too many times – and one of the primary reasons is the so called “diaphragm law” that the New York City Council passed in 2020.  Under this law, sponsored by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams (among others), cops can’t put any pressure on the diaphragm of a resisting perp.  

Any cop that does so would be subject to up to a year in jail.  It would be hard to effectively police anywhere with a restriction like that.

But the legal hits just keep on coming for the NYPD.  Because Jumaane Williams has apparently decided it is his mission to destroy the NYPD, one law at a time.

Perhaps he didn’t like the way he was treated during his several arrests, but it certainly seems personal.  Jumaane continues to sponsor regulations designed to impede the NYPD – regulations that his marxist allies in the New York City Council are only too happy to pass.

Two of Jumaane’s laws recently gained some media attention.  The law requiring the NYPD to report all investigative encounters stabs at the heart of the NYPD’s neighborhood policing strategy.  Cops will now be writing a report every time they interact with a civilian and ask a question that could be construed as crime-related.  

The result, of course, will be that cops will stop asking questions.

WIlliams’s law prohibiting solitary confinement also got some attention.  It is mind-bogglingly uninformed and counter-productive, putting inmates and officers at risk of injury.  Solitary confinement should not be routine, but as any Corrections Officer will tell you, it is sometimes necessary to ensure no one in their charge gets hurt or killed.  That takes precedence over the perceived damage of a short-time in solitary confinement.

Not content with these measures, Jumaane and the City Council have recently upped their game, sponsoring new measures like:

1.       In 2021, a Williams-sponsored law required cops to write a report every time they stop a vehicle.  Every time!  The report is in addition to any summonses issued and, of course, must include the race of the driver.  

2.       Jumaane has also sponsored a law duplicating people’s right to record the police – a right that is already protected by NYPD policy and federal law.  Williams’ law reiterates this right and requires the NYPD to report any instance where a person recording the police became the subject of an enforcement action.  This will only further embolden the threatening crowds we see surrounding cops trying to make an arrest.

3.       Starting in July of 2024, all NYPD cops will be required to write a report documenting anytime they ask for consent to search and that request is refused. Of course, the race of the refusing civilian must be recorded, with an online summary of all reports is required to be posted quarterly. 

4.       Jumaane also sponsored a recently enacted law that requires the NYPD to turn over any bodyworn camera video to the Department of Investigation within 10 days of a request from the DOI Commissioner.  This doesn’t seem like a big deal, but pulling and reviewing video for court, CCRB, and other agencies is a massive task for the NYPD.  There is no provision to deny the video, such as an Internal Affairs or District Attorney investigation that may need deconfliction.

5.       Starting on August 1, 2024, the NYPD will be required to submit to the City Council and post on the web a quarterly report on all car stops.  The NYPD must report every stop, the reason for the stop, the number of arrests and summonses issued, vehicles seized, searches made, and any use of force.  It’s another massive time-waster for cops on the street and the cops required to compile and organize this data.

6.       Although not sponsored by Jumaane Williams, the City Council recently enacted a law that prevents NYPD officers or School Safety Agents from responding when a student is in emotional crisis, unless there is imminent and substantial risk of physical injury. Cops can only take action if they are requested via 911 or the school’s principal.  There are even restrictions as to when the police can call EMS or use handcuffs.  Naturally an additional report is required.

7.       The NYPD must now report sizable donations to the City Council. Any donations that are meant to support pilot programs or improvement projects must be included in this report.  No doubt the City Council will release the report to the public if they feel they can prevent future donations to the NYPD.  

8.       The City Council just passed a law that requires the City’s Law Department to post a synopsis of all lawsuits against the NYPD.  The information must be made accessible to the public and include the name of the officers involved, the plaintiff, and the outcome of the lawsuit.  We assume this is to publicly embarrass individual officers and to make it easier for ambulance-chaser types to find new clients.  

9.       Another new law requires the NYPD to submit a massive public report to the City Council that includes all training of officers, all enforcement actions taken, all overtime expended and a breakdown by enforcement, all manpower deployments, all crime reports, and an extensive breakdown of crime in each and every park, playground, and basketball court.  We can’t overstate the man-hours that will be expended on this report, and we can’t wait to see how the City Council cherry-picks through it to find evidence of “systemic racism” (despite the NYPD being “majority minority” for years).

These are just a few of the anti-police laws that have been imposed on the once-effective NYPD.  Some are worse than others, but they all have one thing in common: the objective of putting obstacles in the way of effective and timely police work in New York City.  

So the next time you see a cop sitting in his car or not getting involved unless he or she absolutely has to – now you know why.  It’s what the leaders of city government want.  And it’s what we voted for.  

Oh, and by the way?  If Eric Adams gets prosecuted by the feds and has to step down?  Who ascends to the mayoralty is: Jumaane Williams.