By: Ilana Siyance

On Sunday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams vowed to shoot down a bill which would force the NYPD to file millions of reports on mundane encounters with New Yorkers.

As reported by the NY Post, the proposed bill, co-sponsored by NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, aims to address complaints of racial profiling.  Entitled the “How Many Stops Act”, the bill which requires police to file detailed forms on all encounters with public, may be passed by the City Council as early as Wednesday.  The bill would force officers to file reports for everyday encounters including giving directions to tourist or questions asked to other train passengers while attending to a sick passenger.  The reports would involve recording information such as the race, age and gender of people officers interact with.  Supporters of the bill say this will help keep racial profiling in check.

Mayor Adams, a former police captain, said that the law would bury police officers in red tape. “It will endanger public safety,” Adams claimed during an interview on WCBS-TV’s “The Point With Marcia Kramer.”  “There is no way I will sign this bill into law,” the mayor added.  The Mayor said “without a doubt” such a law would impede the NYPD because “the more you have police officers handle paperwork, they’re not going after perpetrators.”  “You have a missing child. You go and speak with people. Do you know this child, the child we’re trying to find? Each interaction, you’re going to have to file a report,” he said. “This is a really frightening way to try to govern a city like New York,” he said.

Officers would be on the hook to download the forms to fill out the reports, sometimes at the end of their shift.  This could also lead to even more NYPD overtime costs — a problem which councilmembers have already been complained about, Adams said.  Hizzoner added that violent crimes, including murders, have declined in NYC because police have been empowered to do their jobs.

Prosecutors including Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and Staten Island District Attorney Mike McMahon are all speaking out against the bill.  “I support greater transparency from our police department but not at the expense of longer response times to crimes and fewer positive interactions between police and the public,” Clark said in a statement Friday.

Per the Post, also, some sixty business leaders and merchants signed a letter urging the Council to reject the bill.  Signors include the heads of the New York City Partnership, Times Square Alliance, the Five-Borough Chambers of Commerce Alliance, and the National Supermarket Association.  “We believe that the negative consequences of this bill far outweigh any positive intentions you may have with its passing,” said the letter, addressed to Speaker Adrienne Adams and other councilmembers.  “Victims of crimes should not have to wait due to our officers being overburdened by paperwork which is what will surely happen if this bill passes,” the letter continued. “We urge you to consider the communities, businesses and victims who will suffer the consequences of this bill and to vote no on Intro. 586.”

“Improving transparency and accountability with publicly available data into who is being stopped by police is key to advancing public safety and community trust,” a spokesperson for the speaker said.