NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Days before the vetoed How Many Stops Act returns to the New York City Council floor, councilmember Yusef Salaam said that he was pulled over by police in Harlem without being provided a reason. In response, the NYPD released a statement and body-worn camera footage of the incident.
In a statement describing the incident, the councilman canceled his NYPD ride along with Mayor Eric Adams that was scheduled for Saturday evening, and confirmed his support of the bill.
Salaam, of the exonerated “Central Park 5,” said that he was in the car with his wife and children on Friday night, listening in to a council call on speakerphone, when he was pulled over by police in Harlem.
“I introduced myself as Councilman Yusef Salaam, and subsequently asked the officer why I was pulled over. Instead of answering my question, the officer stated, ‘We’re done here,’ and proceeded to walk away,” Salaam’s statement said.
In response to the councilman's claim, the NYPD released a statement that said Salaam was pulled over for driving with dark tint beyond legal limits. Police also provided the officer's bodycam footage to corroborate the account.
"The officer approached the vehicle, identified himself, and asked the driver to roll down his windows. The driver complied and identified himself as New York City Councilmember Yusef Salaam, performing official duties, at which point the officer advised him to have a good night," the statement read.
Police said that "throughout this interaction, the officer conducted himself professionally and respectfully."
The police statement also confirmed that Friday's stop was not a level one, but a level four encounter, as any vehicle stop is legally required to be.
"And following NYPD procedure, all vehicle stops are already properly documented with a vehicle report, as was done here," police said. The NYPD provided said report.
The How Many Stops Act, which would require NYPD officers to report lower-level stops (classified as level one and level two stops), has been a source of tension between City Hall and City Council.
Adams claims that the additional reporting the bill requires would impact public safety by forcing officers to give up patrol time for paperwork, and argues that overtime costs would swell.
These arguments prompted Hizzoner's Jan. 19 veto, despite the council's veto-proof majority in the original vote.
In a statement released on Friday, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams confirmed the council’s intention to override Adams’ veto in Tuesday’s vote, and doubled down on the council's claim that the mayor has been spreading misinformation about the bill.
“The Council has no interest in prolonging a conversation that has been made unnecessarily toxic by the spreading of fear and misinformation, and we plan to override the mayor’s recent vetoes on Tuesday,” Adrienne Adams said.
City Hall held a public safety press briefing on Jan. 21, where Adams and Police Commissioner Edward Caban invited council members to take a ride along with the NYPD “to see how this bill is enacted.”
Salaam originally accepted the request, and stated that his history as an exonerated man makes him particularly appropriate for the ride along.
“As a person who has been run over by the spike wheels of justice, I think that I may just be the right person to be on this ride along,” Salaam told reporters last week.
Friday’s incident changed the councilman’s mind.
“In light of this encounter and coupled with the lack of logistical details provided by Mayor Adams’ office in advance, I will no longer be participating in tonight’s scheduled ride-along with the Mayor and NYPD. It is critical that I begin to organically develop constructive relationships with all of the precincts in City Council District 9,” Salaam’s statement read.
Salaam said that Friday's stop would have only been legal as a level three stop (with reasonable suspicion), and the lack of cause raises concern over police conduct.
The stop “calls into question how the NYPD justifies its stops of New Yorkers and highlights the need for greater transparency to ensure they are constitutional," Salaam said.
Adrienne Adams, Salaam and the Black subcommittee of City Council did not immediately respond to 1010 WINS/WCBS 880's request for comment.
"We appreciate Councilmember Salaam, the new Public Safety chair of the City Council, for bringing this stop to our attention. We also appreciate and commend the NYPD for following all proper police procedures and being respectful during last night's interaction, as the video and vehicle stop report show. The village of Harlem deserves nothing less, and we remain excited to work with Councilmember Salaam," Adams said in a statement on Saturday.
According to the mayor’s office, Adams will partake in an NYPD ride along with the NYPD and members of City Council at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday.