In a final vote on Tuesday, the New York City Council passed a new law called the "How Many Stops Act" with a vote of 42-9. The law requires police officers to record the race, gender, and ages of individuals they stop for questioning. This issue gained national attention after a Black city council member, Yusef Salaam, was pulled over by police without a reason given. While the NYPD already documents their use of “accusatory” questions during investigations, detentions, searches, or arrests, this new law expands the requirement to include basic information in low-level encounters where individuals are not necessarily suspected of a crime. Officers will also have to state the reason for the stop, and the data will be made available on the police department's website. It's important to note that the law does not apply to non-investigative, informal conversations with civilians.

This new law marks significant changes in the largest police department in the U.S., which has a history of racial discrimination, including the controversial “stop-and-frisk” policy that disproportionately targeted Black and Latino communities. In 2013, a federal judge ruled that the NYPD violated the civil rights of Black and Hispanic residents with this tactic. The How Many Stops Act is seen as a step towards greater police transparency and accountability.

However, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former police captain, vetoed the new law, arguing that the accountability measures would be too time-consuming for officers. Adams expressed concerns that officers would be burdened with paperwork instead of focusing on combating crime. He made efforts to rally supporters against the law by hosting police ride-alongs for council members.

On the other hand, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who sponsored the bill, pushed back against Adams' claims. Williams argued that the system for reporting encounters already exists and can be easily accessed through officers' smartphones. He emphasized that the law is not intended to impede police work but rather to provide transparency and inform the public about how officers are policing the city.

Supporters of the law highlight the need for greater police transparency, particularly in light of the recent incident involving Council Member Salaam. Salaam, an exonerated member of the Central Park Five, a group of Black New Yorkers falsely accused and convicted of raping a white jogger in 1989, was pulled over by an officer without a reason given. The NYPD later stated that Salaam was pulled over for having window tint darker than the legal limit. This encounter further underscores the importance of transparency and accountability in police stops.

The City Council is expected to override Mayor Adams' veto and pass the How Many Stops Act. This comes in conjunction with another veto override vote on a bill that restricts the use of solitary confinement in the city's jails, placing a four-hour limit on isolating inmates who pose an immediate risk of violence to themselves or others in “de-escalation” units.

The debate surrounding this bill has divided local government, with Adams and some Republican council members expressing concerns about the law furthering racial divisions. However, supporters argue that the need for greater police transparency and accountability outweighs these concerns. The final vote on the How Many Stops Act will determine the future of police stops in New York City and potentially set a precedent for other jurisdictions grappling with similar issues.