Relates to providing personal protective equipment to law enforcement officers to allow response to terrorist attacks

1 Co-sponsor

• Andrew J. Lanza

Title of bill

An act to amend the executive law, in relation to equipping police officers to protect against terrorist acts and active shooter incidents

Purpose or general idea of bill

To provide police officers employed by the New York City police department with equipment necessary to provide protection against active shooter situations and terrorist attacks.

Summary of specific provisions

Section one of this bill provides the legislative intent.

Section two of this bill adds a new section 837-s to the Executive Law. This new section requires police departments in cities of one million or more people to provide the police officers in its employ with anti-terror kits consisting of advanced ballistic vest, advanced ballistic helmet, and an approved long gun or rifle. These kits will be located in vehicles to which police officers are assigned, secure police facilities and other secure areas immediately accessible to police officers during the performance of their duties. Each officer will receive training in the use of the anti-terror kit.

Section three of this bill provides that this act shall take effect immediately.

Justification

Policing experts that have studied active shooter incidents have found that they are extremely dangerous for responding police officers. According to a March 2014 report by the Police Executive Research Forum, one third of police officers who entered an active shooter scene alone were shot. A September 2013 FBI report reviewed all active shooter incidents (not only solo entry incidents), and found that police officers were shot in 21 of the 45 incidents where they engaged the shooter to end the threat (46.7% of incidents). Nine police officers were killed in the incidents reviewed by the FBI.

In 2011, the NYPD for the first time issued an "Active Shooter Response Protocol" instructing its police officers how to respond to active shooter incidents. The NYPD order states explicitly that: "The number one priority of the responding uniformed members of the service is to make contact with the suspect and stop him/her from killing people." Prior to 2011, police officers were not instructed to immediately engage an active shooter, but rather to secure the area and wait for specialized, and better equipped, units to respond.

The great majority of NYPD police officers are armed only with a pistol, and wear body armor that will not protect them from rifle rounds. While this equipment may be sufficient for police officers to carry out their normal patrol duties, it is woefully inadequate in active shooter scenarios, where the police officer must engage perpetrators that are heavily armed with assault weapons, and are often wearing body armor.

Prior legislative history

New bill

Fiscal implications

Undetermined

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.