New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, who is running for mayor this year, released a plan that calls for a series of NYPD reforms — including removing the police commissioner’s final say in discipline and disbanding the controversial protest cops unit.
Stringer’s 50-page plan, “A Blueprint for Transforming Policing, Enhancing Safety and Investing In Communities,” comes less than a week after the City Council announced similar changes.
“We must transform the City’s approach to public safety, and this report is a blueprint for that transformation,” Stringer said in a statement.
The plan lays out an expanded Civilian Complaint Review Board, saying that the oversight board currently “operate[s] in name only.”
“Police commissioner review of CCRB investigations and decisions should be eliminated,” the plan reads.
“In more serious cases, which are elevated to the Deputy Commissioner of Trials, not only should the Police Commissioner not have the ability to overturn disciplinary decisions, but the Office of Trials should be removed from police department jurisdiction.”
Citing the issues with the summer’s Black Lives Matter protests, Stringer says the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group, a force of 350 formed in 2015, should be disbanded.
“Moving forward, the SRG Disorder Control Unit should be disbanded so that militarized officers are no longer engaged in policing protests, marches, demonstrations, or parades,” according to the plan.
“Meanwhile, in cases of emergencies, the NYPD can return to its proven four-level mobilization protocols, which successfully mobilized over 1,000 officers to Ground Zero on September 11th.”
PBA President Pat Lynch called the plan “a collection of progressive buzzwords tailor-made for campaign season.”
“After eight years as a citywide elected official, it’s amazing how little Comptroller Stringer knows about the nature of crime and violence on our streets. It’s not the plan our city needs to stop the current bloodshed.”
The NYPD did not immediately respond for comment.
Police sources slammed the plan and attacked Stringer.
“When has Scott Stringer ever gone outside and had something thrown at him? It’s easy to Monday morning quarterback when you’re sitting at home on the taxpayers’ dime in your beautiful house,” a source griped.
“It was everybody in the department that was out there at the protests. Mr. Stringer should know what SRG is for before he opens his mouth to get political points. Obviously, he’s lagging in the polls.”