Three months after meeting with the families of people killed in confrontations with police, Governor Andrew Cuomo says he's appointing a special prosecutor to deal with those cases from now on, but those families say this is only a first step.
The mothers of Eric Garner and Ramarley Graham gathered Tuesday afternoon to call for the appointment of a special prosecutor in police-involved deaths. They say they're cautiously optimistic about the executive order the governor has commited to taking.
Gwen Carr and Constance Malcolm gathered outside Governor Andrew Cuomo's office with activists and relatives of others who have died at the hands of police.
They say they want to see Cuomo sign what they describe as the right executive order - that is, a measure that would extend beyond a year and provide resources for the new special prosecutor.
Cuomo says he's finalizing an annual order that would direct Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to handle such cases instead of local district attorneys.
Carr and Malcolm applauded the governor for responding to concerns that DAs have an inherent conflict of interest because they work with local police departments, but they urged him to find a longer-term solution.
"It's for future families," Carr said. "We don't ever want to see this happen, what happened to my son, what happened to her son, millions of people who are unnamed; we don't know their names, their faces. But we want justice for all."
"The perceived conflict or actual conflict doesn't exist when you have an independent prosecutor. And in this state, the law allows me to name the attorney general a special prosecutor, and that's what we'll be doing," Cuomo said.
Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson is at least one DA criticising the plan that puts these cases under the jurisdiction of the attorney general, saying, "I am sure that their office has nowhere near the experience that my assistants and I have amassed. My office has handled at least nine controversial death cases involving the NYPD and two non-fatal cases."
PBA President Pat Lynch also says a special prosecutor is unnecessary, saying, "The rules of law apply regardless of who is investigating a case but our concern is that there will be pressure on a special prosecutor to indict an officer for the sake of public perception and that does not serve the ends of justice."
Cuomo says by law, he can only enact an executive order a year at a time, but he says he will continue to push for legislation for an independent monitor.