Cops will be required to put out detailed reports on the race and gender of people they bust for weed under a bill passed by the City Council Thursday.
The legislation, which the mayor is expected to sign, requires reports every three months on the number of arrests and summonses for low-level pot possession — broken down by the race, gender, and age of the offender and the borough and precinct where the arrest took place.
The NYPD and the Council have been feuding over pot arrests. The arrest numbers have fallen in recent years after cops started giving summonses in most cases — but still disproportionately affect black and Latino New Yorkers.
The department insisted they make arrests in neighborhoods where they get the most complaints about public pot smoking — but complaint data they later handed over did not support that claim.
The Council says they’re hoping the more detailed information will help get to the bottom of the problem.
“There’s a clear bias, and we want it to go up in smoke,” said Councilman Donovan Richards, chair of the public safety committee.
