Two lawmakers in New York state have proposed a bill that would strip police officers of their state pension benefits if fired for issues involving “serious” misconduct.
Councilman Herb Wesson said he looks forward to working on the project with members of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles.
The city council said in a statement Tuesday that the city's 2021 budget, totaling more than $88 billion, "reduces police spending and shrinks NYPD's footprint."
Under current law, anyone who is convicted of assaulting a law enforcement officer is guilty of a Class 6 felony and is subject to a mandatory minimum term of confinement of six months, according to Virginia code.
The head of the new department would be somebody with "non-law-enforcement experience in community safety services, including but not limited to public health and/or restorative justice approaches."
The United States House of Representatives on Thursday approved draft legislation named for George Floyd, whose in-custody death last month has sparked weeks of widespread civil unrest and calls for police reform.
Police Union spokesman Champion says Mayor Bottoms is part of the morale problem. "They're just fed up. I mean, their mayor has come out and said everything that they used to do with use of force is not valid—'Don't do it'—so I don't know how we defend ourselves when people want to fight us," he said.
“Without their use, this city would be on fire, and injuries would be much greater,” the FOP said of chemical agents. “As rocks and explosives are hurled at them, what measures do the police in Charlotte now have to defend themselves and the preservation of life and property?”
In the wake of the in-custody death of George Floyd—as well as the deaths of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery in recent weeks—some lawmakers are seeking to disband the police departments in their cities.
“Our only path forward is to dismantle the systems that are designed to harm people of color,” Wesson said on Twitter. “A preliminary cut to the LAPD budget will not solve everything, but it’s a step toward to being the city we aspire to be.”