City Councilmember Yusef Salaam says he won’t participate in NYPD ride-along after being pulled over in Harlem

NEW YORK – Newly elected City Councilmember Yusef Salaam, who used to be wrongfully convicted and imprisoned in the Central Park Five case, says he used to be stopped via police with out rationalization Friday.

It comes as Mayor Eric Adams is continuous his effort to get some City Council contributors to make stronger his veto of the arguable How Many Stops Act. 

The measure is meant to extend police transparency via requiring NYPD officials to report any come upon they’ve for investigative functions, together with the obvious race, gender and age of the folks they have interaction with. 

The City Council handed the invoice in December. Adams vetoed the invoice, announcing it could quantity to “drowning officers in unnecessary paperwork, when they should be out on the street keeping us safe.” 

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams has moved to override the veto, and a council assembly at the invoice has been set for Tuesday.

“Police transparency is a prerequisite to public safety because it fosters the community trust that is necessary to make our neighborhoods safer,” Speaker Adams stated. 

Meanwhile, Mayor Adams invited City Council contributors to participate in an NYPD ride-along Saturday, however Salaam stated he would no longer participate as a result of the police forestall.

Salaam stated he used to be diving along with his spouse and circle of relatives when he used to be pulled over:

“I introduced myself as Councilman Yusef Salaam, and subsequently asked the officer why I was pulled over. Instead of answering my question, the officer stated ‘We’re done here,’ and proceeded to walk away. The fact that the officer did not provide a rationale for the stop, which would have only been legal at ‘level 3’ (with reasonable suspicion) or higher as required for vehicle stops, calls into question how the NYPD justifies its stops of New Yorkers and highlights the need for greater transparency to ensure they are constitutional. This experience only amplified the importance of transparency for all police investigative stops, because the lack of transparency allows racial profiling and unconstitutional stops of all types to occur and often go unreported.”

The NYPD says the forestall used to be correct for the reason that automotive’s home windows had been tinted past the felony restrict.

Body cam pictures displays the officer getting out of his automobile, coming near Salaam’s automobile and announcing, “Roll that back one for me, too. Can you roll your back window, please?”

After Salaam rolls down the rear driving force’s aspect window, the officer approaches the motive force’s aspect window and identifies himself.

“I’m Councilmember Salaam,” Salaam says.

“Oh, councilmember?” the officer says.

“This district, District 9,” Salaam says.

“Oh, OK. Have a good one,” the officer says sooner than beginning to stroll away.

“Is everything OK?” Salaam asks.

“Yep. Yeah, yeah. You’re working, right?” the officer says. Salaam can also be heard responding, and the officer says, “Alright, take care, sir,” sooner than returning to his personal automobile.

The NYPD launched the next observation Saturday:

“At approximately 6:20 PM yesterday evening in the 26th precinct, an officer pulled over a blue sedan with a Georgia license plate for driving with dark tint beyond legal limits, a violation of New York State law. The officer approached the vehicle, identified himself, and asked the driver to roll down his windows. The driver complied and identified himself as New York City Councilmember Yusef Salaam, performing official duties, at which point the officer advised him to have a good night. This entire account is corroborated by body-worn camera footage and the vehicle report.

“As the video displays, all through this interplay, the officer performed himself professionally and respectfully. He adopted all correct procedures, together with procedures that had been put in position after Detective Russel Timoshenko used to be shot and killed via tinted home windows in 2007. This officer must be recommended for his well mannered, skilled, and respectful behavior and for the usage of his discretion correctly so the councilmember may just whole his legit tasks.

“To be clear, however, last night’s exchange was not a Level 1 interaction, as any vehicle stop is, by definition, a Level 4 encounter since the officer had probable cause of a violation of the New York Vehicle and Traffic Law. And following NYPD procedure, all vehicle stops are already properly documented with a vehicle report, as was done here.”

The New York City Police Benevolent Association President, Patrick Hendry, stated:

“Facts matter, and the video doesn’t just expose the lies about this incident. It shows the truth about the outstanding, professional work our members do every day. This Council member and every other elected official who baselessly smeared our police officers owe them an apology.”

Mayor Adams spoke back to the incident with the next observation:

“We appreciate Councilmember Salaam, the new Public Safety chair of the City Council, for bringing this stop to our attention. We also appreciate and commend the NYPD for following all proper police procedures and being respectful during last night’s interaction, as the video and vehicle stop report show. The village of Harlem deserves nothing less, and we are remain excited to work with Councilmember Salaam.”