LIU ON COMMUNITY SAFETY ACT

NEW YORK, N.Y. – City Comptroller John C. Liu stated the following today about the proposed City Council legislation Intro 1080:

“There will come a day when stop and frisk is ended, but until then we need laws such as Intro 1080 in order to extend and strengthen New Yorkers’ protections against the kind of discriminatory profiling that is part and parcel of the stop-and-frisk policy. Extending protections to include LGBTQ and immigrant New Yorkers, who are often subject to such profiling, is an urgent necessity.

“Discriminatory profiling is ineffective and creates deep mistrust between communities and police, which makes everyone less safe. Discriminatory actions also risk driving up claim costs against the City. As it is, claims alleging improper police conduct have nearly doubled in the past five fiscal years, according to our analysis. It’s time to restore trust between police and New Yorkers by stamping out all forms of discriminatory profiling, including stop and frisk.” Press Release

Background:

Liu: New Claims Against Police Keep Rising, June 2013: http://comptroller.nyc.gov/press/2013_releases/pr13-06-078.shtm

Liu Statement on Proposed Reforms to Stop and Frisk, May 2012: http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/press/2012_releases/pr12-05-059.shtm