Press Releases

Call for probe follows false statements made by police unions about Shake Shack

NEW YORK, NY – Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Council Member Ritchie Torres, Chair of the Council’s Oversight & Investigations Committee, today called on the New York Police Department (NYPD), the Department of Investigation (DOI) and the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) to investigate whether recent false allegations by the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) and the Detectives’ Endowment Association (DEA) violated City laws and rules, including those that forbid the release of confidential information and making false or deceptive statements or reports.

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The bill requires NYPD to disclose its use of surveillance technology and develop impact and use policies 

New York, NY – Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Council Member Vanessa Gibson, Chair of the Subcommittee on Capital Budget, today announced that the City Council will vote on the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act on June 18.

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“We believe that we can and should work to get to $1 billion in cuts to New York City’s police spending in the Fiscal 2021 budget, an unprecedented reduction that would not only limit the scope of the NYPD, but also show our commitment towards moving away from the failed policing policies of the past. 

“There is no doubt that this is an ambitious goal, but it is one that the time we are in calls for–both here in New York City and nationwide. 

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Billsalso ban officers from covering their badge number from the public; reaffirm the right to record police activity in public places; create tool to identify problematic officers

New York, NY – City Council’s Public Safety Committee today is holding a hearing on four bills addressing police misconduct and inappropriate behavior. One bill criminalizes an officer’s use of a chokehold;

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Bills also ban officers from covering their badge number from the public; reaffirm the right to record police activity in public places; create tool to identify problematic officers     

New York, NY – City Council’s Public Safety Committee today is holding a hearing on four bills addressing police misconduct and inappropriate behavior. One bill criminalizes an officer’s use of a chokehold;

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New York – New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson’s prepared remarks for today’s hearing of the Council Committee on Public Safety. 

“Thank you, Chair Richards. And I want to thank everyone for being here today. 

I want to start by saying that I know this isn’t enough. 

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New York – New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson released the following statement regarding Mayor de Blasio and the New York Police Department’s failure to respond appropriately to the protests that have swept the city in recent days.   “The Mayor has lifted the curfew, but we cannot simply turn the page and forget the horrors we witnessed over the last week.

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New York, NY – On Saturday, it was reported that the New York Police Department was suspending applications for press passes because of the protests. This follows reports of police officers threatening to revoke the press passes of those covering the city-wide protests against police brutality towards Black Americans. Speaker Johnson released the following statement in response to these troubling developments: 

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The Council will also vote on resolutions to repeal the law that shields police disciplinary records from the public and to support a bill that makes chokeholds a federal crime 

New York, NY – Council Speaker Corey Johnson today announced that the City Council Committee on Public Safety will vote on legislation in June to address police misconduct, including a bill to criminalize an officer’s use of a chokehold or other techniques that restrict breathing and a second bill requiring the NYPD to create guidelines for police discipline. 

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New York, NY – Below is a letter Speaker Corey Johnson and Council Member Ritchie Torres, Chair of the Council’s Oversight and Investigations Committee, sent on Sunday to the Department of Investigation (DOI) Commissioner Margaret Garnett requesting a full and independent investigation of the New York Police Department (NYPD)’s mishandling of the weekend’s protests. The investigation should also probe the general policies and practices of the NYPD relating to mass demonstrations.

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