New York cops will be required to take out individual liability insurance

The new bill will require police officers to have personal insurance for liability claims. Employees who have been sued for misconduct may experience higher premiums and will have to pay these costs. This publication reports New York Post.

New York state lawmakers are increasingly proposing bills designed to hold police officers accountable for their misconduct. State Senator Alessandra Biaggi (D-Bronx) introduced a bill requiring police officers to take personal liability insurance to cover civil claims brought against them for excessive use of force and other abuses.

According to the current legislation, the policemen who filed the lawsuits are represented by the city legal department, and the taxpayers pay bills for any verdict or settlement.

In accordance with Biaggi's proposal, each police officer will have to obtain personal liability insurance. City or other local governments will still need to cover the costs of the main insurance policy to cover the costs of delicate litigation.

But Biaggi thinks it is better to hold employees accountable by obliging them to pay any increase in premiums associated with payments for misconduct. “Employees who are being sued for misconduct may face higher premiums and have to pay those costs. The purpose of this bill is to create a financial deterrent against police misconduct and to establish accountability for abhorrent behavior, ”she said.

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Between July 2017 and June 2018, New York City paid $ 230 million in 6472 cases of alleged misconduct or suspected misconduct by police officers, according to a report released by City Controller Scott Stringer's Office. “While taxpayers bail out law enforcement agencies who commit misconduct, those same employees too often shy away from real responsibility,” Biaggi said.

The measure is the latest in a series of police accountability measures passed by the legislature and signed into law by State Governor Andrew Cuomo last month.

Recent changes include the repeal of Decree 50-A, which did not allow police complaints to be made public, the prohibition of strangulation against detainees, and the codification of an order authorizing the State Attorney General to conduct independent checks of deaths in prisons.

Another bill proposed last week provides for the deprivation of retirement benefits if they are found guilty of misconduct.

Recall that in June New York approves massive police reform package. In particular, the city council adopted six bills that will significantly affect the work of the police. These bills include: the requirement that officer badge numbers be visible, a formal ban on the use of asphyxiating grabs or other maneuvers that restrict blood circulation or airflow, and a bill requiring surveillance technology surveillance by the New York City Police Department.

The reform package also creates a punishment system for police officers with disciplinary problems, and a system for interfering with the training of “problem” employees. A bill has also been passed that enacts the right to record interactions with the police.