In an op-ed published on 12.21.17 in The Yeshiva World, Sen. Felder criticized the Right to Know Act, recently passed by the New York City Council.
As described by Patch.com, the Act “would require the NYPD to instruct officers on how to get consent from people they search without a warrant,” as well as “require the Police Department to develop policies for recording such searches and explicitly telling civilians that they can refuse to be searched.”
In his op-ed, Mr. Felder described the Council’s passage of the bill as a “frenzied circus act.”
“By passing this inane set of bills, which mandate officers, upon approaching a suspect, to hand out business cards along with a courteous introduction and the option not to comply, the City Council hopes to obliterate any remaining authority our officers still have,” Mr. Felder wrote. Other excerpts from his piece:
–> “This constant chipping away at the authority of the police creates an atmosphere of anxiety around proactive policing. It discourages officers from making stops that might thwart terrorists and prevents searches that help lead to the arrest of violent criminals before the completion of a heinous crime.”
–> “Despite some elected officials chirping about how safe NYC is, the truth is that since the outlaw of stop and frisk quality of life crimes have increased exponentially. Graffiti, petty street crimes and homelessness are only the beginning.”
–> “As the threat of terror attacks grows, our city needs to be more prepared than ever. I, for one, feel safer when I know that those who choose to dedicate their lives to protecting innocent people can do so without their hands tied behind their backs, but that’s exactly what will happen if the City Council has its way.”
Read the full editorial in The Yeshiva World.
— Posted on 12.23. by JVS, backdated to 12.21.17.
Felder Tracker 