Leading Mayoral Candidates Muddled on Police Reform
Photo by Jakayla Toney (via Unsplash)
By Lilli Taylor
After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, powerful protests calling for police reform and racial justice spread across not only New York City, but the United States as a whole. The protests sparked a national conversation about the police and the criminal justice system as many American residents looked to their local leaders to take action.
In June of 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order—the New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative—that required local police agencies to re-evaluate their strategies and programs using community input. Since the order, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio has been under criticism for the failing to reform the NYPD.
This year, as New York City plans to elect a new mayor in November, police reform and criminal justice remains a high-stakes issue for candidates hoping to succeed de Blasio, who is term-limited. Notable candidates running for mayor include Andrew Yang, Eric Adams, Maya Wiley, and Scott Stringer.
While each candidate has similar, generally vague plans for police reform on their campaign websites, it is important to note their career backgrounds and the specific wording of their statements.
Andrew Yang, who built a sizable base of followers during the 2020 presidential race, is advancing policies such as Every Cop Gets A Camera (referring to body-worn cameras) and naming a civilian commissioner of the NYPD.
Yang’s campaign website states that “We need the NYPD to fit into a larger criminal justice strategy. We also need more robust use of both technology and data to determine what is working. The Yang administration will expand violence interrupter programming to more neighborhoods and invest in different types of interventions and resources.”
Eric Adams, the current borough president of Brooklyn, is a former NYPD and New York City Transit Police officer.
On his campaign website, Adams states that “I called out racism in the department as an officer and formed 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement to push through reforms. And why I continued to call for change throughout my career, including the successful effort to stop the unlawful use of Stop-and-Frisk...We need the NYPD — we just need them to be better.”
Maya Wiley is generally known for her work as a lawyer, civil rights activist, MSNBC commentator. From 2016-2017, she served as the board chair of the NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board, as well as counsel to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Because Wiley is known for her activism, her supporters look up to her for strong stances on criminal justice and gun reform policies, her website stating that: “As Mayor, Maya Wiley will launch a layered, multi-faceted gun violence reduction plan.” She is also calling for a reduced NYPD budget, with the money redirected to mental health and other social services.
Scott Stringer has been the city’s comptroller since 2014. Prior to that, he was borough president of Manhattan, a state assemblyman representing the Upper West Side, and a legislative assistant to Congressman Jerry Nadler.
Stringer’s campaign website states that “Under Scott’s leadership, the Comptroller’s Office has issued a detailed blueprint to transform our approach to public safety.” Stringer’s blueprint includes addressing the climb of shootings and violence in communities, establishing meaningful oversight and accountability, implementing common-sense decriminalization measures and parole reform, and fixing the management of the NYPD.
The election for New York City’s new mayor in June is a critical one, not only in terms of the city’s recovery from the pandemic but also because an incoming administration can adopt new policies surrounding criminal justice. While each candidate has presented their general thoughts and ideas on the issue, full policies and plans have yet to be released. These details have widely been deemed necessary in order for undecided voters to make informed decisions about their next mayor.