New York state Democrats are looking to require New York Police Department (NYPD) officers to have personal liability insurance rather than having the help of city attorneys for civil lawsuits filed against them.
The legislation, sponsored by New York state Senate Democrats Alessandra Biaggi, Robert Jackson, Jessica Ramos, and Gustavo Rivera, would require “police officers to maintain liability insurance” and would exclude “police officers from provisions requiring defense and indemnification of state officers and employees.”
The goal, Biaggi told the New York Post, is to drive up insurance premiums for NYPD officers who have multiple claims against them.
“Officers who have misconduct claims brought against them may see their premium go up and will be required to pay those costs,” Biaggi said. “The purpose of this bill is to establish a financial disincentive for police misconduct and create accountability for abhorrent behavior.”
In recent months, about 300 NYPD officers have retired, and another 500 officers have filed for retirement.
Since riots engulfed the city for weeks, New York state Democrats are attempting to end qualified immunity for NYPD officers — a legal provision often protecting police officers from being personally sued in civil lawsuits.
Last month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed into law a plan that makes public complaints against police officers, as well as bans police from using chokeholds, prohibits race-biased 911 calls, and requires independent prosecutors investigate police custody deaths.
Elias Husamudeen, president of New York City’s corrections officers union, warned last month about making complaints against civil servants public.
“I don’t want inmates with corrections officers information in their cells because that’s where they’re going to have it,” Husamudeen said. “Why should our personal information be floating around a jail. It’s dangerous. It threatens not only me as a corrections officer, it threatens my family. My family information is in there.”
Meanwhile, violent crime has swept New York City. Over the last week, murders have increased 50 percent, grand larceny auto crimes have increased nearly 70 percent, burglaries are up nearly 30 percent, and shootings have increased almost 200 percent.
Compared to January through June last year, murders have increased 27 percent, burglaries have increased 45 percent, grand larceny auto has increased 61 percent, and shootings have increased more than 53 percent.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.