On Tuesday, the City Council decisively voted to override Mayor Eric Adams’ recent veto of the “How Many Stops Act,” a key NYPD transparency bill, concluding a heated and prolonged battle over the fate of the legislation.
With 42 votes in favor and 9 against, the 51-member council exceeded the original 35 votes that had passed the two-bill package late last year. The bills aim to curb unlawful civilian stops by enhancing data collection on officers’ interactions with the public, a response to the 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision deeming the NYPD’s stop and frisk practices unconstitutional.
Despite the mayor’s opposition, citing concerns about increased paperwork diverting officers from their duties, the council reapproved the legislation requiring demographic data reporting from lower-level stops. The disagreement intensified in recent weeks, with both the mayor and council leadership accusing each other of spreading misinformation.
Nevertheless, the council united to push the bills forward, overriding the mayor’s objections. Before the vote at City Hall, Speaker Adrienne Adams emphasized that the council’s decision to override the veto was aimed at shedding light on investigative police stops disproportionately affecting Black and brown communities.
“The council will be voting today to override the mayor’s vetoes of the How Many Stops Act,” Speaker Adams stated. “The How Many Stops Act was advanced to address the lack of transparency in these investigative stops, which can no longer remain in the shadows due to the enduring impacts of the pain and trauma they inflict on communities.”
In addition to the “How Many Stops Act,” the council also overrode the mayor’s veto of a bill prohibiting solitary confinement.
