What's happening
This bill creates a mandatory licensing system, continuing education, and an independent review board for all New York police and peace officers.
Why it matters
Creates enforceable professional standards for police and peace officers. by tying their ability to serve directly to maintaining a state-issued license, which can be revoked or suspended for misconduct, making accountability more concrete than internal department discipline alone.
Mandates ongoing education and retraining. , including sensitivity, de-escalation, and cultural competency training, meaning officers must stay current on best practices for handling diverse communities, mental health crises, and protest situations to keep their licenses.
Empowers an independent review board. with authority to investigate, subpoena, and penalize officers for professional misconduct—including excessive force and abuse of power—removing sole reliance on local police departments to police themselves.
Raises the professional bar for entering and remaining in law enforcement. by requiring all officers to meet uniform licensing criteria statewide, potentially changing recruitment, retention, and public trust in policing across New York.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Require Police Officer Licensing
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to codes
- Referred to codes
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1401
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 9, 2025
Introduced by Sen. SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the executive law and the criminal procedure law, in relation to enacting the "police and peace officer licensing act"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "police and peace officer licensing act".
§ 2. Section 840 of the executive law is amended by adding two new subdivisions 8 and 9 to read as follows:
8. The council shall, in addition:
(a) Establish and implement a mandatory licensing program for all current and new police officers and peace officers in the state.
(b) All current and new police officers and peace officers in the state shall be licensed pursuant to this subdivision by January first, two thousand twenty-seven.
(c) Every license issued pursuant to this subdivision shall remain in effect, unless revoked or suspended, for a period of five years and shall be renewed, in a manner established by the council, in order to continue employment as a police officer or peace officer in the state.
(d) Promulgate rules and regulations with respect to the establishment and implementation on an ongoing basis of a continuing education program for all current and new police officers regarding the policies and procedures established pursuant to this subdivision, along with procedures and policies for periodic retraining of police officers.
9. The council shall, in addition:
(a) Develop, maintain and disseminate a continuing education program for all current and new police officers and peace officers in the state.
(b) Such continuing education program shall include license renewal requirements, pursuant to paragraph (c) of subdivision eight of this
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04295-01-5
section, including the sensitivity and de-escalation training pursuant to paragraph (h) of subdivision one of this section.
(c) Promulgate rules and regulations with respect to the establishment and implementation on an ongoing basis of a continuing education program for all current and new police officers regarding the policies and procedures established pursuant to this subdivision, along with procedures and policies for periodic retraining of police officers.
§ 3. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 841-e to read as follows:
§ 841-e. Independent police and peace officer licensing review board. 1. There is hereby created within the division an independent police and peace officer licensing review board composed of seven members, who shall be selected as follows:
(a) three shall be appointed by the governor;
(b) one shall be appointed by the temporary president of the senate;
(c) one shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly; and
(d) two shall be appointed by the attorney general.
2. The governor shall designate from among the members of the council a chair who shall serve during the pleasure of the governor.
3. All members of the council shall be appointed for terms of two years, such terms to commence on April first, and expire on March thirty-first. Any member chosen to fill a vacancy created otherwise than by expiration of term shall be appointed for the unexpired term of the member whom they are to succeed. Vacancies caused by expiration of a term or otherwise shall be filled in the same manner as original appointments. Any member may be reappointed for only one additional term.
4. The review board shall be permitted to review individual cases pertaining to police and peace officers. In response, the review board may do the following if the board finds that such officer has committed professional misconduct:
(a) Issue licensing penalties for professional misconduct;
(b) Revoke and/or suspend licenses issued by the municipal police training council;
(c) Issue fines;
(d) Require such police or peace officer to undergo therapy or treatment; and/or
(e) Require such police or peace officer to fulfill additional continuing education courses.
5. The review board shall promulgate, and may from time to time amend, rules and regulations with respect to defining professional misconduct. Such definition shall include excessive force and abuse of power and may include all other acts the review board deems to qualify as professional misconduct.
6. The review board shall have the power to issue subpoenas and hire an executive director and investigators to further investigate allegations of professional misconduct.
§ 4. The opening paragraph of subdivision 34 of section 1.20 of the criminal procedure law is amended to read as follows:
The following persons, who are licensed in good standing, as of January first, two thousand twenty-seven, by the municipal police training council pursuant to subdivision eight of section eight hundred forty of the executive law, are police officers:
§ 5. The opening paragraph of section 2.10 of the criminal procedure law, as added by chapter 843 of the laws of 1980, is amended to read as follows:
Notwithstanding the provisions of any general, special or local law or charter to the contrary, only the following persons, who are licensed in good standing, as of January first, two thousand twenty-seven, by the municipal police training council pursuant to subdivision eight of section eight hundred forty of the executive law, shall have the powers of, and shall be peace officers:
§ 6. Subdivision 1 of section 840 of the executive law is amended by adding a new paragraph (h) to read as follows:
(h) Establishment and implementation on an ongoing basis, of a training program for all new police officers and peace officers hired on and after January first, two thousand twenty-seven, regarding sensitivity and de-escalation training. Such program shall include training on the following areas:
(1) handling emergencies and complaints, including but not limited to, those involving victims, witnesses or suspects with mental illness, substance use disorder, trauma history or developmental or intellectual disabilities, which shall include training related to common behaviors and actions exhibited by such individuals, strategies law enforcement officers may use for reducing or preventing the risk of harm and strategies that involve the least intrusive means of addressing such incidences and individuals while protecting the safety of the law enforcement officer and other persons; and
(2) practices and techniques related to responding to mass gatherings or protests that shall emphasize de-escalation and minimizing the necessity for use of force; and
(3) cultural competency on issues regarding race, ethnicity, immigration status, sexual orientation and gender identity to help prospective officers learn how to work effectively in diverse communities.
§ 7. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the executive law and the criminal procedure law, in relation to enacting the "police and peace officer licensing act"
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill states the act shall be referred to as the "police and peace officer licensing act"
Section 2 amends Section 840 of the Executive Law to add two subdivi- sions requiring the Municipal police Training Council to establish a mandatory licensing program for all police and peace officers in New York State, and grant a five year license to every currently serving police and peace officer by January 1, 2023. It also requires the Coun- cil to establish continuing education requirements for license renewals, and new de-escalation and sensitivity training requirements for new officers after January 1, 2023.
Read the full memo (675 words)
Section 3 adds a new Section 841-e to the Executive Law that establishes an Independent Police and Peace Officer Licensing Review Board of seven members. The board shall investigate misconduct allegations made to the board against licensed police and peace officers, and is allowed to revoke or suspend the license of officers who are found to have commit- ted misconduct. The section also allows the Board to promulgate rules and regulations defining professional misconduct, and also allows it the power to hire and executive director and investigators to investigate misconduct allegations.
Section 4 amends Section 1.20 of the Criminal Procedure Law to require all police officers be licensed in good standing with the Municipal Police Training Council after January 1, 2023.
Section 5 amends Section 2.10 of the Criminal Procedure Law to require all peace officers to be licensed and in good standing with the Munici- pal Police Training Council by January 1, 2023.
Section 6 amends Section 840 of the Executive Law to remove subdivision 1(h), requiring the Municipal Police Training Council to establish a training program for all officers, eliminating the exemption for munici- palities with a population of over 1 million.
Justification
The State of New York issues and monitors licenses for a wide variety of professions, ranging from educators to physicians to hairstylists and interior designers. If licensed professionals in these fields commit misconduct, their licenses can be suspended or revoked by a State Board. However, no such licensing regime exists in New York for police and peace officers: in New York, almost all disciplinary power is left up to municipal police departments and agencies that directly employ police and peace officers, many of which have negotiated contracts that shield officers from discipline even when they commit serious misconduct.
Thus, police departments rarely punish officers who commit misconduct, even when the alleged misconduct is serious, violent and independently substantiated. For example, in 2020, an investigation by ProPublica and THE CITY found that the Civilian Complaint Review Board had substanti- ated at least 40 instances of officers using illegal chokeholds in the years after a police officer killed Eric Garner by using an illegal chokehold in 2014. Yet none resulted in termination and all officers were able to continue serving on our streets. Failing to address police misconduct threatens New Yorkers' public safety, particularly the safety Black and Brown New Yorkers who are disproportionately killed and harmed by police misconduct. This legislation would require the Municipal Police Training Council to issue licenses to all police and peace offi- cers by January 1, 2023, and establish continuing education requirements in de-escalation and cultural sensitivity. It would also then create an Independent Police and Peace Officer Licensing Review Board that would investigate complaints of misconduct, and issue penalties, including license suspension and revocation, similar to how Boards of Regents handle misconduct complaints for other professions. Officers would no longer be able to serve as police and peace officers for any agency or municipality in the State of New York if their licenses are suspended or revoked.
Prior legislative history
2021-22 REFERRED TO SENATE CODES
2021-22 referred to assembly governmental operations
Fiscal implications or state and local governments
To be determined.
Effective date
Effective 90 days after becoming law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.