Council OK for kinder NYPD stops

A PAIR of fiercely fought-over police reform bills that will slap new restrictions on how cops do stops and searches passed the City Council on Tuesday.

After bottling it up for more than three years, pols approved the Right to Know Act in a close vote at their last meeting before a new Council takes over in January.

A last-minute deal to change the legislation got the support of the NYPD and Mayor de Blasio — but it alienated reform advocates, who urged Council members to vote no.

One measure requires cops to tell people they have a right to refuse to be searched when there’s no legal basis to force a search, and to get proof of their consent. The other forces officers to identify themselves with a business card when they do many kinds of stops, and to state the reason.

“I grew up in the projects. I grew up in the Bronx. I’m not from an ivory tower. And I’m convinced . . . from my own lived experience that this bill will have a real impact in improving the day-to-day interactions between police and civilians,” said Councilman Ritchie Torres (D-Bronx), the sponsor of the ID bill, who gave an impassioned defense of his deal after being hit with a torrent of criticism. “I believe what I’m doing is right. And I will defend what I’m doing, even if it means I stand alone.”

The identification bill passed 27 to 20, with three abstentions. The consent-to-search mandate passed 37 to 13.

In the deal with the NYPD, lowlevel stops were excluded from Torres’ bill, which now applies only to stops based on the suspicion of criminal activity, as well as searches. Traffic stops were also excluded.

“That means if an officer stops me, asks me for my ID, asks me why I’m here, asks me a bunch of questions, that officer does not have to give me a card. That doesn’t make sense,” said Councilman Jumaane Williams (D-Brooklyn), who voted against the revised bill.

Council Speaker Melissa MarkViverito had blocked votes on the two bills — previously making a deal with the NYPD to instead make internal policy changes — but moved them forward after last week’s compromise. The votes came amid a marathon session, the last in MarkViverito’s term as speaker, in which the body voted on 38 bills.

Both the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association and police reform advocates ended up lobbying pols to vote against the identification bill.