New York City Council poised to override mayor, change NYPD data collection

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- After weeks of debate about the future of policing in New York City, it all comes to a head Tuesday.

The New York City Council is expected to override Mayor Eric Adams' veto of a bill that would require the NYPD to collect information, including race and gender, about nearly every interaction it has with the public.

Ahead of the vote, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams stood on a Manhattan street corner, trying to correct what he calls misinformation from the mayor about the "How Many Stops" bill.

Williams even brought with him a recently retired police lieutenant to try to counter the narrative by the mayor and the NYPD that collecting basic information about every low-level interaction with the public would become too burdensome.

"Officers are already required to document information," the retired lieutenant explained. "This is just a few additional steps."

On a ride-along over the weekend, the mayor and NYPD made a last-ditch effort to try and convince several council members to vote against the bill. They showed how in the midst of a search for a suspect, police would need to stop and collect information.

The New York City Council has suggested this could be done easily and efficiently by looking at body camera footage at the end of the day, and certain simple interactions did not need to be noted. The mayor has said a court order governs what is and is not required.

To override a veto, the New York City Council's 51-member body would need 34 council members to vote in favor of overriding. Thirty-five voted for the bill originally, meaning the mayor would need to flip two votes to kill the bill.

One vote that will not change is that of Councilman Yusef Salaam. He was stopped by police Friday night for tinted windows, but he was not given an explanation at the time for the stop. Police said the officer was courteous and followed procedure.

Salaam refused to comment Sunday when PIX11 News asked him about the stop. However, on Monday morning, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams reiterated that her council does intend to override the mayor's veto -- and said Salaam's stop, while professional, continues to raise questions about police transparency.

"He was never told why he was pulled over to begin with," Speaker Adams said. "As a matter of fact, by all estimations, he found out once the NYPD released the video and the report afterward. To me, that really did prove the point."

Salaam's traffic stop would not have been subject to the new more detailed reporting outline in the "How Many Stops" legislation. Traffic stops already generate more detailed reports.