SYRACUSE, N.Y (NCC NEWS) – Syracuse Common Council delayed a vote on police reform legislation. The Right to Know Act has been promoted by activists to increase transparency between Syracuse police officers and community members in an effort to prevent unnecessary police encounters and abuse.
Under the Right to Know Act, Syracuse City Police would be required to identify themselves, provide a business card, and obtain and record consent to search during certain citizen interactions. The legislation would also require officers to explain why a community member is being stopped.
The Right to Know Act is being lobbied for by the Syracuse Police Accountability and Reform Coalition , a group that has played a major role in organizing protests and other political actions in the wake of the George Floyd’s killing by police in Minnesota. The group said in a statement in June that, “reform can start immediately with the Common Council passing the Right to Know Act, but must not end there.”
The Syracuse Common Council will hold its next meeting Oct. 13.
