Gerber told the council’s Public safety committee Monday that the onerous reporting requirement covered by Law Enforcement Today in July, has racked up over 18,000 hours of overtime. The body which heavily scrutinizes the Police Department’s use of overtime heard testimony from the top brass in a public meeting reported by The New York Post.
Addressing the committee, Democrat Councilman Bob Holden criticized them, saying, “Some of my colleagues have shown to be unserious people, prioritizing political posturing over public safety. They criticize NYPD overtime spending while pushing legislation that adds excessive paperwork, costing taxpayers nearly $1.5 million and 18,000 overtime hours in just one quarter.”
Gerber explained to the council committee, “We do have an overtime code for How Many Stops. The third quarter of 2024 it’s about 18,000 hours spent on the form by our police officers.
“That’s about $1.44 million in overtime. So, I think you’re not seeing it play out in response time,” he added, addressing concerns over the impact on police coverage.
Both Gerber and NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey were pressed by committee members for non-compliance with the new law with allegations that up to 30% of police encounters with the public are still undocumented.Today, the Committee on Public Safety hosted an oversight hearing to discuss the NYPD’s use of Stop-and-Frisk and to hear updates on the implementation of the How Many Stops Act, which the Council passed last year. pic.twitter.com/McUxC1HbUv
— New York City Council (@NYCCouncil) December 16, 2024
Republican Councilman Joe Borelli of Staten Island reacted with disgust, telling the Post the new law is “high cost, low value.” He quipped Monday that it “sounds about right for a City Council idea.” Borelli opposed the measure alongside Mayor Adams.
Samah Sisay, attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights, chastised the NYPD in testimony before the committee, saying, “The NYPD’s continuing failure to ensure adequate supervision, adequate documentation for stops and discipline for still prevalent racial profiling means they are not in compliance with the court order to engage in constitutional policing.”
She claimed, “In fact, we have seen an increase in unconstitutional stops by the NYPD over the past few years.”
Responding to these concerns, Gerber told the committee that NYPD brass has created an “executive-level working group” intending to streamline the reporting process and provide additional training to speed up completion, but stressed that the Level 1 report as it stands can take an officer from 30 minutes to an hour to complete for every interaction with the public. He noted that he was required to complete such a form himself simply for asking a tired runner in the New York City Marathon if they needed assistance.
