SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – The Syracuse Common Council passed the Right To Know Act with a 7-1 vote on Tuesday. Councilman Joe Carni, the only republican, was the lone no vote.
The act requires:
- Syracuse City Police to identify themselves
- Officers must give a reason for stopping someone
- Provide that person with a way to file a complaint about the stop
- Officers will be required to provide a business card in stopes that do not end in an arrest
The act comes in an attempt to increase transparency of police interactions in the community.
The vote to pass legislation, introduced about 18 months ago by the Syracuse Police Accountability and Reform Coalition, was delayed in September after Syracuse Police Chief Kenton Buckner and the city’s Corporation Counsel Kristen Smith talked to the council regarding changes in the legislation.
It is not yet known what final changes were made to the act before approval.
