Res. No. 1181-A
Resolution calling upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, Briana’s Law, requiring all police officers to be retrained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation every two years.
By Council Members Levin, Cohen, Richards, Palma, Gentile, Koslowitz, Deutsch, Salamanca, Johnson, Chin, Cabrera, Gibson, Lander, Van Bramer and Menchaca
Whereas, According to the American Heart Association (“AHA”), more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests take place in the United States every year, with almost 90% of the cases resulting in death; and
Whereas, If cardiopulmonary resuscitation (“CPR”) is performed within the first few minutes of cardiac arrest, an individual’s chance of survival can be doubled or tripled, as reported by the AHA; and
Whereas, In 2010, New York State Assembly Member Félix Ortiz and New York State Senator Eric Adams first introduced Briana’s Law, legislation requiring all police officers, including state police officers, to be retrained in CPR and to demonstrate satisfactory completion of such training every two years; and
Whereas, The legislation is named after Briana Ojeda, an 11-year-old girl from Brooklyn who died of an asthma attack in 2010, after a police officer claimed he was not qualified to administer CPR on her, according to the New York Daily News; and
Whereas, Briana’s Law is supported by the AHA and the American Red Cross in New York State; and
Whereas, Briana’s Law has been reintroduced in the New York State Legislature during every session since 2010, and it passed the Assembly in 2013, 2014, and 2015; and
Whereas, In November 2014, Akai Gurley, an unarmed man, was killed when the gun of an NYPD officer went off while patrolling the stairwell of a public housing development; and
Whereas, The trial of the former officer, Peter Liang, drew public attention to CPR training for NYPD officers; and
Whereas, According to various news reports, including the New York Times, Liang and his partner testified at trial that they did not attempt to perform CPR on Gurley and that they had been insufficiently trained to do so; and
Whereas, Liang’s case once again highlighted the importance of effective CPR training for police officers; and
Whereas, In April 2016, Briana’s Law (A.4364-A) passed the Assembly again with an overwhelming majority of votes; and
Whereas, However, the bill has not been called for a floor vote in the Senate, where it is currently sponsored by Senator Jack. M. Martins (S.6717); and
Whereas, Because CPR can double or triple the chance of survival of an individual in cardiac arrest, mandating police officers to be retrained in properly administering the procedure would save a significant number of lives in New York every year; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, Briana’s Law, requiring all police officers to be retrained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation every two years.
LS# 8092
10/19/2016
LW/BG