Provides for the creation of a system of uniform identification cards for police and peace officers by the state director of homeland security

Summary of provisions

Section One - Amends the executive law by creating a new section 718. This section establishes a centralized database to coordinate the creation, distribution, and monitoring of uniform identification cards which shall be done in coordination with the Division of Criminal Justice Services and the databases they currently maintain pursuant to sections 845 and 845A of the executive law. This section provides standards that the uniform identification cards must meet.

Section One - Directs the Commissioner, in conjunction with the division of criminal justice services, develop and distribute uniform identification cards to all police and peace officers with a personal identification number, person's badge number, height, weight, eye color, sex and race. Also, the identification cards will include the town, village, city, county, department, district, division, agency or municipality that the person is a volunteer with or employed for.

Also, this section provides the Commissioner will promulgate the rules and regulations necessary to obtain the information necessary to implement this database.

Section Two - This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have become law.

Justification

The necessity of a uniform identification card and a statewide database for all police and peace officers stems from the desire to make New York safer and more equipped to mitigate the effects of a natural or man-made disaster. On August 27, 2004 the President issued Homeland Security Directive number 12 which outlined the necessity to develop and implement policy that would create a common or uniform identification standard for Federal employees and contractors. This directive spawned a new Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) number 201; which, specifies the architecture and technical requirements for a common identification standard for Federal employees and contractors. The overall goal is to achieve appropriate security assurance for multiple applications by efficiently verifying the claimed identity of individuals seeking physical access to Federally controlled government facilities and electronic access to government information systems. According to a Department of Homeland Security Information Bulletin,

terrorist groups view the theft or other illegal acquisition of official identification, uniforms, or vehicles as an effective way to increase access and decrease scrutiny in furtherance of their planning and operations.

Terrorist groups have utilized police or military uniforms to mask their identities and achieve closer access to their targets without arousing suspicion. This was illustrated in the December 2002 suicide bombings that targeted the Chechen Government Headquarters in Groznyy, Russia. Terrorists in South America, the Philippines and Pakistan have stolen emergency medical services uniforms to facilitate the execution of their attacks on key facilities.

A report released on April 7, 2006 by the Heritage Foundation and George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute Task Force, Empowering America: A Proposal for Enhancing Regional Preparedness, found that the Jack of a uniform identification system hobbles interagency coordination. There are a number of professions and capacities that people serve in that are critical to an effective response to an emergency; because of this, the verification of identification, affiliation, and expertise cannot be accomplished rapidly during a crisis unless there is some uniform identification system. This legislation will allow emergency planners and law enforcement officials to better understand the specific human resources on hand at any given time and in any region so that we can fortify our plans and better manage our assets. This seamless identification for all police and peace officers will be utilized in many situations, such as: when officers are deployed to areas outside of their normal geographical area for national security and special events (e.g. The Republican National Convention); during mutual assistance across counties, natural and man-made disasters, and for multi-agency coordination centers (MACC).

Legislative history

2006 - S.7681-A Passed Senate

Fiscal implications

According to the Division of Criminal Justice Services there were 65,942 sworn law enforcement officers across New York in 2004. At about $6.50 for each identification card, this legislation would cost the state $428,623, much of which could be offset by Federal funding sources.

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have become law.