Senate Bill S5977

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S5977

SPONSOR: PARKER
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the criminal procedure law, in relation to prohibiting a
grand jury from inquiring into an offense or misconduct that involves a
shooting or use of excessive force by a police officer or peace officer
that led or leads to the death or personal injury of a civilian

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

In the interest of justice, transparency and accountability, this legis-
lation amends the criminal procedure law, in relation to prohibiting a
grand jury from inquiring into an offense or misconduct that involves a
shooting or use of excessive force by a police officer or peace officer
that led or leads to the death or personal injury of a civilian. In
place of the "secret" grand jury, a preliminary hearing, in front of the
public and a Judge will occur.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
              

Section 1. Subdivision i of section 190.55 of the criminal procedure law
is amended to read as follows:

(b) a grand jury shall not inquire into an offense or misconduct that
involves a shooting or use of excessive force by a police officer and/or
peace officer, as defined in section 2.10 of this chapter, that led or
leads to the death or personal injury of a civilian.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Governor Cuomo's appointment of a Special Prosecutor to handle cases
relating to deaths of unarmed civilians caused by law enforcement offi-
cers is a correct first step in reforming a fundamentally broke and
often racist criminal justice system-but it is a modest and limited
step. This legislation goes much further down the road of comprehensive-
ness and transparency by ending "secret" grand juries for cases of a
shooting or use of excessive force by law enforcement official.

The relationship between police officers and prosecutors is so close
that is it often incestuous. Those who work on the same team and rely
upon each other may be overrun by sinister motives in cases that involve
misconduct, excessive force, racism, or flat-out murder by police offi-
cers. There is a clear conflict of interest in these cases, and "secret"
grand jury proceedings exacerbate this fact because they lack any type
of public accountability.  For example, we still do not know all the
details of the Richmond Country Grand Jury proceedings in the chokehold
murder of Eric Garner by Officer Daniel Pantaleo.

We know there was video evidence and many first-hand accounts; we even
heard Mr. Garner utter the immortal last words "I can't breathe," as
life was literally taken from him by the police. Yet, there was no
indictment and the records of the secret proceedings remain sealed.  We
don't know how hard or how tenaciously District Attorney Donovan even
pushed for an indictment of a clear murderer; or even if he did at all.

Even the perception that his commitment wavered, in the face of direct
video evidence of a high crime as clear as day, harms the reality of our
system and the day to day lives of people of color, who wonder if they
will be the next victim to have their cries of injustice fall upon deaf
ears and closed minds behind closed doors.  The crisis we face in the
City, State and Country demands a higher standard of accountability in
the cases in which a law enforcement officer shoots or uses excessive
force.

"Secret" grand juries must give way to preliminary hearings in front of
the public, for all to see, presided over by a Judge.  Letting the light
of day, and the rays of transparency into a once "secret" process-where
family members, friends and loved ones of the victim are present-is the
bare minimum we can do to ensure accountability in our system, as we
continue to work to repair it.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2019-20: S4796 REFERRED TO CODES

2017-18: S5046 REFERRED TO CODES

2015-16: S.6038 (PERKINS) - REFERRED TO CODES

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have
become a law.