Cuomo Announces Crackdown on Impaired Driving During Super Bowl Weekend
Yesterday, Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) announced that state and local law enforcement will be cracking down on impaired drivers during Super Bowl weekend.
During last year’s Super Bowl campaign, law enforcement throughout New York issued more than 25,000 tickets for traffic law violations and made over 800 arrests for driving while intoxicated.
“Super Bowl weekend is an exciting time of year, and I urge all New Yorkers to celebrate responsibly,” Cuomo said. “New York has zero tolerance for impaired driving, and law enforcement will be on the road all weekend long to help keep New Yorkers safe. If you drink and drive, you will get caught, so avoid costly and potentially deadly consequences by planning for a safe ride home.”
The crackdown will last from today until Monday, Feb. 8.
Maloney, Markey Introduce Gun Violence Prevention Research Act
Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens) and U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) reintroduced the Gun Violence Prevention Research Act to Congress.
The act would provide the Center for Disease Control (CDC) with more funding to research gun violence prevention and firearm safety. Specifically, $50 million would be allocated for this purpose every fiscal year for the next five years. The act comes on the heels of 2020, which was one of the deadliest years for gun violence in U.S. history.
“With gun deaths and gun sales surging in 2020, we must act now to meaningfully combat gun violence. We know of the commonsense solutions like the need for better and more robust background checks and the need to renew the assault weapons ban, but we must also seek other solutions. And we do that by studying gun violence like the public health crisis it is,” said Maloney. “I am hopeful that the research that this bill funds will help us design evidence-based policy solutions to combat gun violence and prevent thousands of senseless deaths every year.”
Johnson, Gibson, Adams Applaud Firing of NYPD Official for Hateful Online Conduct
Yesterday, Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen) and Councilmembers Adrienne Adams (D-Queens) and Vanessa Gibson (D-Bronx) released a joint statement after the NYPD fired Deputy Inspector James Francis Kobel for a string of racist, homophobic, misogynistic and anti-Semitic comments he made on the message board Rant.
“NYPD Deputy Inspector James Francis Kobel, whose racist, misogynistic and homophobic language disqualified him from public service, should have been fired immediately,” they said. “The NYPD must work to bring real reform to policing, including fairer and more transparent disciplinary and accountability systems. This case, which was uncovered by the Council’s Oversight and Investigations Committee, illustrates the need for robust independent oversight into the NYPD, and its value in rooting out biased police officers. The Council will continue its oversight into the NYPD and is looking forward to hearings on its legislative package of police reform bills this month.”
