Kathy Hochul Surprisingly Supports Police Lawsuit Protection as She Fights Democrats

ALBANY — After a historic defeat at the hands of left-wing Democratic colleagues opposed to her election to head New York’s high court, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday she opposes the idea of ​​making it easier to file lawsuits against individual police officers.

“I don’t support abolishing this,” she said after dodging the “qualified immunity” issue for months while campaigning for a full term last year.

“[What] I support an end to the vilification of people who take an oath to protect society,” she added.

The comments came ahead of a rally on Wednesday at which Progressives will launch a new push for a bill to repeal qualified immunity protecting police and government officials from civil liability across the state.

In New York City, lawmakers stripped that protection from cops in 2021, despite protests from NYPD supporters.

The state legislation, spearheaded by State Senator Robert Jackson (D-Manhattan) and Assemblyman Pamela Hunter (D-Syracuse), neither of whom provided immediate comment on Tuesday, has failed to move in either house since it was introduced at the start. 2021.

“We want to make sure that we protect constitutional rights that are violated by public servants. Period,” Hunter told The Post last year.

But opponents warn that limiting qualified immunity across the state could have dire consequences amid rising crime for grassroots law enforcement officers who want to do their jobs without worrying about being sued.

“We want to stop the deterioration of public safety in New York, we need to stop imposing new burdens and punishments on police officers. We need every elected official to speak up and say – in no uncertain terms – that they will support the police when we do our job in good faith,” said Patrick Lynch, president of the Police charity.

Hochul has spoken extensively in recent weeks about combating the rise in crime by revisiting criminal justice reforms, such as controversial caps on bail from the state budget, due April 1, with details expected in legislation due sometime this month.

“We hope Governor Hole’s comments today are a sign that New York City leaders have finally realized that the pendulum of policing has veered too far from common sense,” Lynch said.

Running in the Democratic gubernatorial primary last year, Hochul said in a questionnaire submitted to the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club in Manhattan that she “supports efforts to increase accountability and transparency in law enforcement,” suggesting she may support repeal. limited immunity.

A spokeswoman said ahead of the November election against Republican Lee Zeldin that she would “consider legislation if passed by both houses,” without specifying Hochul’s position on the issue.

Her approach to the sensitive subject is now changing as she turns to the political center, supporting centrist judge Hector Lasalle, amending bail reform and now advocating qualified immunity over progressive objections.

LaSalle has faced fierce opposition from labor unions, criminal justice activists and progressive state senators, largely over several controversial decisions whose supporters say he was simply sticking to the letter of the law.

The State Senate Judiciary Committee voted against his candidacy by a 10-9 margin last week, the first time in history a governor has been rejected by the legislature.

Hochul did not rule out filing a lawsuit to get a full vote on LaSalle, which she hoped could be approved by a bipartisan majority.

As of Tuesday, she has yet to make a final decision on the matter, although her turn to political moderation appears to be well underway in other areas, such as qualified immunity.

“I think the governor understands that we are at a crossroads right now, and lifting qualified immunity will only immobilize the police and at the same time encourage criminals,” said Michael Palladino, president of the National Police Foundation.

The newly inaugurated governor noted on Tuesday that the state police are having trouble hiring people during a press conference at Albany’s Crime Analysis Center, where the law law enforcement cooperate with state aid in solving executions and other crimes.

“We never intend to sacrifice personal rights, but the protection of life and property is also critical to us. So I’m going to continue to focus on changing attitudes towards our law enforcement,” she said.

When pressed, Hochul said she would not give a “straight answer” before bluntly saying that she was opposed to the idea of ​​lifting qualified immunity, which she then offered to protect honest cops while leaving the option to punish those who abuse their power over private citizens. .

“Communities need to know that they can trust law enforcement to not cross that line. It’s important for me. And I will gladly call anyone who does this and say: “You are a disgrace to your profession.” Don’t do it,” she said.

“But the vast majority are hardworking people who simply deserve more respect than they have received in the last few years,” she added.