Staten Island councilmember receives police unions backing for 2025

St. Philips Baptist Church

City Councilmember Kamillah Hanks at the St.Philips Baptist Church Anniversary Gala. (Steve White for the Advance/SILive.com) Steve White | For the Advance/SILive.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A new election season has brought North Shore Councilmember Kamillah Hanks back into the good graces of most of the city’s police unions.

The Sergeants Benevolent Association, the Lieutenants Benevolent Association, the Detectives’ Endowment Association, and the Captains’ Endowment Association all endorsed the Hanks’s 2025 re-election bid in a Monday letter to the Democratic councilmember.

“[We] are proud to endorse you for reelection to the New York City Council to represent the 49th Council District in Staten Island,” the heads of each union wrote in their letter. “Our members and families greatly appreciate that you have dedicated your time in the City Council toward ensuring quality of life, maintaining public safety and protecting the citizens of New York. Your commitment and defense of working families and labor is also well known and widely respected.”

The sergeants union’s endorsement came as a particular surprise not even two years after its head, Vincent Vallelong, took Hanks to task for her vote on a piece of legislation aimed at increasing police transparency.

In a statement to members, Vallelong called out the councilmember for her vote in favor of legislation commonly known as the “How Many Stops Act,” which passed in late 2023. Under the bill, officers are required to track their investigative interactions with the public, and the NYPD has to issue a public statistical report quarterly.

Opponents of the legislation tried to frame the bill as requiring officers to track every single interaction they have with members of the public, but the language of the legislation specifies investigative encounters, while excluding everyday casual conversations.

The bill also requires the NYPD’s quarterly report to include detailed information about the nature of each interaction, including the race, gender and age of the person stopped, the reason for the stop, and the officer’s subsequent actions, like whether they issued a summons or used force.

Mayor Eric Adams attempted to veto the bill along with a series of other reforms, but the Council overrode that effort.

Hanks took Vallelong’s change of heart in stride, saying the unions’ endorsement came after a series of meetings with their leaders, and because of her openness to working with members of law enforcement.

“I am honored to receive the support of the brave men and women who serve in leadership across the NYPD. These officers put their lives on the line every day, and I’ve always believed that public safety and strong community relationships go hand in hand,” she said. “I look forward to continuing to fight for the safety of our neighborhoods, resources for our precincts, and respect for the dedicated public servants who keep New York City safe.”

The city’s largest cop union, the Police Benevolent Association, did not endorse Hanks as it already gave its backing to her potential opponent, Jozette Carter-Williams, in April.

Carter-Williams, the ex-wife of slain NYPD officer Gerard Carter, did not secure access to the June Democratic primary, but is trying to get on the November ballot as an independent candidate.

Deputy Executive Director Vincent Ignizio confirmed Tuesday that Carter-Williams filed an independent nominating petition for November, but the ballot has yet to be finalized.

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