Res 0010-2022

Whereas, In 2019, several incidents of individuals dousing New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers with water were caught on camera and shared widely on social media; and Whereas, One incident occurred in Brooklyn, where an individual purportedly approached NYPD officers, who were responding to an unruly crowd, and poured a bucket of water over the heads of the officers as the officers walked on the street, according to various sources; and Whereas, A similar incident occurred in Harlem, according to several media outlets, where a group of individuals allegedly splashed NYPD officers with water, and one individual hurled a red bucket that hit an officer in the head as that officer attempted to make an arrest; and Whereas, Similarly, according to the Wall Street Journal, two NYPD officers were also allegedly splashed with water while working in Queens just days following the incidents in Harlem and Brooklyn; and Whereas, According to the Wall Street Journal, NYPD officials launched an investigation into all three incidents and made an arrest in one of the incidents, charging the alleged perpetrator with obstruction of governmental administration and criminal nuisance; and Whereas, In each of the incidents, the NYPD officers refused to confront and arrest their attackers, exercising tremendous restraint while being humiliated and disrespected; and Whereas, These incidents were met with a swift and strong rebuke from New York City officials, such as the Mayor, the Public Advocate and many City Council members, according to various sources; and Whereas, The Police Benevolent Association (PBA) and several Council members have called for "zero tolerance" for such behavior and the prosecution of individuals responsible for these incidents, according to Fox News; and Whereas, S. 2562, introduced by State Senator Daphne Jordan, and companion bill A. 6578, introduced by State Assembly Member Michael Montesano, would amend the penal law and criminal procedure law to make it a felony for throwing water, urine or other substances on a police officer; and Whereas, The PBA President supports the legislation and expressed that officers should have the discretion to make arrests that result in felony charges in cases of dousing, according to the Wall Street Journal; and Whereas, S. 2562/A. 6578, if adopted, would send a message that it is not acceptable to douse police officers with water; now, therefore be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, S.2652/A. 6578, which would make it a felony to throw or spray water, urine or any other substance on police officers. Session 12 NLB LS# 3078 12/30/21 Session 11 KMD LS# 11854/56/57