New York, NY – Last night, the New York City Council voted overwhelmingly to pass two bills focused on improving community safety, one of which creates an inspector general to oversee the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
“We applaud the City Council’s effort to secure independent oversight for the NYPD,” said Faiza Patel, co-director of the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security program. “Oversight makes government stronger, not weaker. An inspector general will enable the NYPD to work better and with greater transparency in their effort to keep all New Yorkers safe.”
Sponsored by City Councilmen Brad Lander and Jumaane Williams, the bill to establish an inspector general was introduced earlier this month.
The Brennan Center advocated for an inspector general in a 2012 report, “A Proposal for an NYPD Inspector General.” Recent fact sheets from the Center also explain the function, structure, and purpose of an inspector general and debunk misconceptions.
Read more about how an inspector general could provide critical oversight of NYPD policing policies in the New York Times, Guardian, Salon, and Al Jazeera .
For more information on oversight for the NYPD, check out our resource page here.