A new piece of legislation under consideration in New York would require police officers to obtain personal liability insurance to cover civil lawsuits filed against them by people claiming to be victims of police misconduct.
According to the New York Post, the bill would end the practice of allowing the police department to use taxpayer funds to pay for legal services—or financial settlement—when officers are the target of a lawsuit.
The legislation would require each officer to obtain individual liability insurance. The city or other local governments would still be required to cover the basic insurance policy to cover tort litigation costs.
Another bill proposed last week would strip officers of their pensions if they are found guilty of misconduct.
