Many police actions occur in the shadows, often without accountability due to the immunity they enjoy. It's crucial to hold law enforcement responsible for their actions and advocate for a system of accountability within policing.
By gaining knowledge and expertise in police accountability, we can challenge and reevaluate the assumptions we've normalized about police behavior, ensuring a more just and transparent system.
Long Term Goals
The long-term goal of the workgroup is to achieve legislative and contractual changes that enhance accountability in law enforcement. This includes the establishment of a civilian review board, the implementation of the Right to Know Act—requiring police to provide a card with information on the reason for a stop—and the revision of the Marcy Act to ensure it does not shield officers who have committed abuses.
The group also advocates for the repeal of qualified immunity, increased data reporting on police interactions, the requirement of private police liability insurance to cover the costs of settlements and misconduct payments, and protections against bias in surveillance technologies.
The workgroup produces an annual monitoring report on police reform in Nassau County, tracking the implementation of these critical reforms. The impetus for this effort was the nationwide response to the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, which prompted millions to protest against systemic racism and police brutality.
In New York State, this led to Governor Andrew Cuomo's issuance of Executive Order #203 (EO 203), requiring every municipality with a law enforcement agency to submit a reform plan by April 1, 2021. This order also stated that the New York State Director of the Division of the Budget could withhold future state or federal funds from municipalities that failed to comply. The EO emphasized the importance of consulting stakeholders, listing various categories to ensure broad community involvement in the reform process.​