BILL NUMBER: S5084
SPONSOR: SEPULVEDA
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the New York city charter, in relation to establishing a
process for neutral arbitrators to review certain disciplinary decisions
and penalties imposed on members of the New York city police department
 
PURPOSE:
To establish an arbitration panel to review police disciplinary cases
when the New York City police commissioner wishes to impose a lesser
penalty than that recommended by the Civilian Complaint Review Board.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends section 440(3) (d) of the New York City Charter.
Section 2 provides an effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Currently, complaints against members of the city police department are
reviewed by the Civilian Complaint Review Board, which makes recommenda-
tions for the discipline of officers who have been found to have engaged
in misconduct after a complaint by a member of the public. The police
commissioner may adopt, exceed, reduce or disregard the board's recom-
mended disciplinary sanctions. This bill would refer any case in which
the police commissioner wished to reduce or disregard the recommenda-
tions for disciplinary sanctions to a neutral arbitrator from a panel of
five appointed by the public advocate. The purpose of the bill is to
mitigate the internal conflict presented when the police commissioner
evaluates the work of officers in the department. The arbitrators would
not hear any cases in which the police commissioner adopted the board's
recommendations or exceeded the recommended disciplinary sanctions.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
S.4336A of 2023-2024; Referred to Cities 1, Reported and committed to
Finance;
S.3807 of 2021-22: New bill, Referred to Cities 1
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
One hundred twenty days it shall have become a law.