Cuomo: ‘There can’t be these bureaucratic loopholes’ for police misconduct

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10/AP/WETM) — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called for the closure of “bureaucratic loopholes” that allow police officers to maintain their credentials despite past misconduct. These “loopholes” allow a police officer to maintain law enforcement credentials despite performing unprofessionally.

In a phone briefing, the governor said he is looking at closing a loophole that could allow a cop accused of misconduct in one police department to get a new job at a different department.

“There can’t be these bureaucratic contrivances and loopholes that, ‘Well, he wasn’t fired for cause, he was allowed to resign, and therefore he can be a police officer somewhere else,'” Cuomo said. “If a police officer is not qualified or does not perform to the standards for one police agency, that doesn’t mean you take a person who acted unprofessionally and you let them go work in a different police department. That doesn’t work for the people of the state.”

Cuomo referenced a Times Union story about an officer in East Greenbush who was allowed to resign in 2017, rather than being fired, after being accused of inappropriate sexual advances toward women he met while on duty. The officer was able to apply to other police departments.

I will be making proposals. I want the people of this state to know trust is a two-way street and the police should trust the community and the community should trust the police and the conditions exist for both of them to do it, and if there is a bad cop, that bad cop should no longer be a police officer. A bad cop does a disservice to the 99.9% of good cops, and we’ll make sure that happens.

Cuomo

The governor did not specify what actions will be taken for future situations.