Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs sweeping police reform bills

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday signed new police reform legislation into law, in a move that makes officers more accountable and criminalizes chokeholds and other controversial restraints.

The governor, who will sign a total of 10 bills, said it has been 40 to 50 years in the making, but was only realized after the police custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

"Police reform is long overdue, and Mr. Floyd’s murder is just the most recent murder. This is not just about Mr. Floyd’s murder. It’s about being here many, many times before,” Cuomo said during his daily briefing. "It is about a long list that has been made all across this country that almost all makes the same point: injustice against minorities in America by the criminal justice system."

A key measure signed on Friday involves removing a veil of secrecy that a 1976 law provided police personnel and disciplinary records. Another piece of legislation mandates that a police officer who injures or kills somebody through the use of "a chokehold or similar restraint" can be charged with a class C felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Another bill will designate the attorney general as an independent prosecutor for matters relating to the deaths of unarmed civilians caused by law enforcement.

On Friday Cuomo signed four out of the 10 bills into law. The other six bills await his signature.

The bills are vehemently opposed by a coalition of law enforcement unions, calling them "anti-police."