New York Mayor Eric Adams vetoed the How Many Stops Act that had been passed by the city council and would have required police officers to document many more interactions with the public.
Police officers are currently only required to fill out reports following reasonable suspicion stops, which are those where an officer has the legal authority to search and detain someone.
The How Many Stops Act would have required officers to report on all investigative stops, even ones that are low-level encounters with individuals, reported ABC7. The bill had passed the council with a 35-9 margin, with three abstentions.
Adams vetoed the bill, saying that requiring officers to record every encounter with a member of the public would lead to greater distrust of the police and discourage people from speaking to officers.
Plus, he noted the How Many Stops Act would have added tens of millions of dollars to the New York Police Department’s budget since filling out new reports would take time. He also said the added reporting would slow police response times.
