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Andrew Cuomo

Cuomo: Police training, grand jury reforms on table

Jon Campbell
Gannett
A woman, who did not want to give her name, places flowers at a memorial for Eric Garner near the site of his death in the borough of Staten Island Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014., in  New York. A grand jury is deciding whether to indict a New York City police officer in the chokehold death of Garner. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday called for a "comprehensive review" of New York's policies for police training and grand juries, one day after a Staten Island grand jury decided against indicting a white officer for the July death of an unarmed black man.

In a radio interview, Cuomo acknowledged that a "large segment of the population" doesn't believe it is getting justice, which he said is "corrosive to society." He said the state has to do "everything we can to restore confidence."

Cuomo listed an array of areas he sees as ripe for reform when state lawmakers return to the state Capitol in January for their annual session, with most dealing with policing tactics and how officers are trained.

"This is something we have to look at this coming session, and I think we need a comprehensive look," Cuomo said. "This is about race relations, this is about police training certainly and better training. This is about transparency, this is about accountability, this is about diversity in the police office. It's all of the above."

Cuomo didn't offer specifics on any potential reforms he would like to see implemented, but hinted at a potential push for changes to the state's grand jury laws, which prevent nearly all information about the closed-door proceedings from being released publicly without a judge's permission.

The Staten Island grand jury on Wednesday decided against indicting Daniel Pantaleo, a 29-year-old NYPD officer who was shown on video placing 43-year-old Eric Garner in a chokehold-like maneuver in July after police confronted Garner over allegedly selling loose cigarettes. Garner was shown in the video repeatedly telling officers he couldn't breathe before he died.

On Thursday, state Supreme Court Justice Stephen Rooney authorized the release of very limited details about the grand jury's investigation, revealing that it met over the course of nine weeks, heard from 50 witnesses and viewed four videos.

Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan did not ask to have any testimony or evidence revealed, according to Rooney's ruling. Donovan issued a statement Thursday saying he respects Rooney's decision and "will have no further comment in connection with the grand jury proceedings."

State Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said creating a special prosecutor for police-involved incidents and allowing for the public release of more grand jury records would help improve the justice system.

"The reality of seeing what we saw and not having repercussions that we would expect, and then having a gap of information between the reality of what we saw and what the grand jury's decision is is really what people are clamoring to understand better," she said.

In a statement, Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos said his "thoughts and prayers" are with Garner's family. He did not signal if he was open to reforms to the criminal justice system.

"The job of law enforcement is very difficult," Skelos said. "It is important that all New Yorkers feel confident in our criminal justice system and that they believe that we are all treated equally under the law."

Cuomo said he spoke to Garner's mother and widow Wednesday night, praising them for urging peaceful protests in reaction to the grand jury decision.

The governor also said he spoke Thursday to U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch, who will lead a federal investigation of the circumstances surrounding Garner's death. Cuomo said he pledged the state's support for the probe.

In a separate letter to Lynch, Cuomo asked for her input on potential reforms.

"After you have concluded your work, if you have any recommendations or suggestions for reforms to improve the system here in New York, please let me know as I intend to propose potential reforms in the next legislative session," Cuomo wrote.

Campbell also reports for Gannett's Albany (N.Y.) bureau

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