New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says serious reform to the budget for the NYPD is coming. The Mayor announced a plan to shift funding to youth initiatives, Sunday.
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“The details will be worked out in the budget process in the weeks ahead. But I want people to understand that we are committed to shifting resources to ensure that the focus is on our young people,” de Blasio said.
De Blasio also added that law 50-A, which concerns the disciplinary records of law enforcement, will be history: “Let’s make 50-A as we knew it a thing of the past, so we can have transparency in the disciplinary process to give the public confidence.”
“I want it to be abundantly clear to all New Yorkers. These are first steps to what will be 18 months of making intense change in this city. The work of this task force is crucial. This is a transformative moment,” he added.
De Blasio’s announcement comes after ample public pressure to reduce the budget of police departments across the county. NYC City Council Speaker Corey Johnson explained why this needs to be done earlier this week: “Given the scale of the financial crisis we face and the urgent need for the city to transform our criminal justice system, we know the budget will include meaningful cuts to the NYPD budget. I am working with my colleagues to determine how we can reduce the budget and reallocate those dollars to instead invest in our communities. But this is not just about budget cuts. We also need structural change and transformational reform in the police department, while investing in communities as much as possible during this unprecedented budget crunch.”
[Via]
