Statement From State Senator Gustavo Rivera On Bill That Would Grant Attorney General Jurisdiction To Prosecute Police Misconduct

(Albany, NY)- State Senator Gustavo Rivera released the following statement today after bill S716 failed to pass the New York State Senate Investigations and Government Operations  Committee for a second year in a row. The Special Prosecutor bill, which is sponsored by Senator Rivera in the Senate and Assemblymember Keith Wright in the Assembly, would authorize our State's attorney general to investigate and prosecute incidents of police misconduct that result in the death or injury of a New Yorker.

"It is deeply disappointing that my Republican colleagues in the Senate Committee on Investigations and Government Operations failed to move this bill out of committee for a second year in a row. By failing to recognize the need to advance this bill, Senate Republicans are further delaying the implementation of necessary measures that would effectively reform our criminal justice system, while working to restore the public's trust in our law enforcement and government.

Recent cases continue to shed light on the need to reform our criminal justice system, which continues to fall short when it comes to providing basic justice to communities of color. Not only have people of color disproportionally fallen victim to police brutality, but they have also suffered from repeated transgressions by a system that has proven to be unbalanced and unjust.

I remain committed to working hard to pass this bill, which will go a long way in reforming a criminal justice system that has proven to be in dire need of resources and new procedures."