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Test Cops For Alcohol After Shootings, New Bill Proposes
Cops would be subjected to mandatory alcohol tests after a shooting under Councilmember Yusef Salaam's new bill.
12/20/24
Yusef Salaam
HARLEM, NY — Harlem Councilmember Yusef Salaam introduced a new bill this week to make the New York City Police Department consistently test all cops who have shot or killed someone for alcohol.
According to Salaam, who introduced the legislation on Thursday, the NYPD's patrol guide currently includes guidelines for alcohol testing, but that enforcement has been inconsistent.
With this new bill, Salaam said he hopes that the mandate to test every NYPD member who has shot someone — on or off duty — will build trust and transparency between law enforcement and civilians.
According to the bill, the testing could include a test of an officer's breath, blood, urine, or saliva.
“This is about trust, justice, and fairness,” Salaam, the chair of the City Council Committee on Public Safety, said. “When we entrust police officers — the Guardians of Society — with the extraordinary power to carry and discharge firearms, we must also hold them to the highest standards of accountability."
The bill, if passed, would amend the Administrative Code of the City of New York.
"Codifying these procedures is not a matter of distrust; it is a commitment to ensuring that every officer is supported by clear, consistent, and fair rules that protect both the public and the integrity of the NYPD," Salaam said.
So far, 10 other councilmembers have signed on as co-sponsors of Salaam's bill, including Upper West Side Councilmember Shaun Abreu, East Harlem Councilmember Diana Ayala, and Majority Whip Selvena N. Brooks-Powers.
"I am proud to be a co-prime sponsor of this legislation, which will reinforce transparency and
accountability in our law enforcement practices," Brooks-Powers said.
