What's happening
This bill allows all auxiliary police in New York to carry collapsible police batons if authorized and trained, removing previous location restrictions.
Why it matters
Expands authority statewide. Removes the restriction that only auxiliary police in New York City and Suffolk County can carry batons, opening up this equipment to auxiliary police across all of New York State if authorized.
Potentially changes auxiliary police roles. By allowing collapsible batons, the bill could alter how auxiliary police respond to situations and interact with the public, possibly affecting both their safety and public perceptions of their authority.
Emphasizes training and oversight. Requires specific training in baton use and legal standards for deadly force, signaling an effort to balance increased equipment authorization with public safety and accountability concerns.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Let Auxiliary Police Carry Batons
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
2 Multi-sponsors
History
- Referred to codes
- Referred to codes
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
854
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 11, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. D. ROSENTHAL, McDONOUGH -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. MONTESANO, MOSLEY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to auxiliary police and their ability to carry a collapsible police baton
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision b of section 265.20 of the penal law, as amended by chapter 75 of the laws of 1983, and as relettered by chapter 376 of the laws of 1995, is amended to read as follows:
b. Section 265.01 shall not apply to possession of that type of billy commonly known as a "police baton" or a collapsible "police baton" which is twenty-four to twenty-six inches in length and no more than one and one-quarter inches in thickness by members of an auxiliary police force [of a city with a population in excess of one million persons or the county of Suffolk] when duly authorized by regulation or order issued by the police commissioner of such city or such county respectively. Such regulations shall require training in the use of the police baton including but not limited to the defensive use of the baton and instruction in the legal use of deadly physical force pursuant to article thirty-five of this chapter. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section or any other provision of law, possession of such baton shall not be authorized when used intentionally to strike another person except in those situations when the use of deadly physical force is authorized by such article thirty-five.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01058-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.