New York Assembly Bill A04323

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/4/25
• Refer: 2/4/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Authorizes the division of criminal justice services to add to the police officers memorial the names of peace officers of the state of New York who are slain in the line of duty.

Summary

A04323 would authorize the Division of Criminal Justice Services, through the Police Officers Memorial Advisory Committee, to add the names, departments, and dates of death of New York State peace officers who are killed in the line of duty to the Police Officers Memorial at the Empire State Plaza in Albany. The bill is permissive rather than mandatory: it allows the committee to decide, in its discretion, whether to include these names on the memorial. The measure is narrowly focused on memorial recognition and does not create new criminal penalties, benefits, or employment rules. It would expand the scope of the existing police memorial to include certain peace officers, which may affect how the state commemorates line-of-duty deaths and how the memorial is administered by DCJS and the advisory committee.

Impact

If enacted, the bill would amend the practical operation of the Police Officers Memorial by allowing peace officers slain in the line of duty to be commemorated alongside police officers. It would not appear to alter substantive law governing peace officers, but it would affect state memorial policy and the responsibilities of the Division of Criminal Justice Services and the Police Officers Memorial Advisory Committee in deciding eligibility for inclusion.

Sentiment

The available vote history suggests mixed but generally favorable committee support, with the Assembly Governmental Operations Committee voting 10-4 to hold the bill for consideration. That indicates the proposal has some backing, but not unanimous agreement, and it has not yet advanced cleanly through committee. No transcript is available, so the broader discussion appears limited to the bill’s memorial purpose and administrative scope.

Contention

The main point of contention is likely whether the memorial should be expanded beyond police officers to include peace officers, and whether the advisory committee should have discretion over those decisions. Supporters would likely view the bill as a respectful recognition of public servants who die in the line of duty, while any opposition may center on the scope of the memorial, classification differences between police and peace officers, or concerns about setting precedent for additional categories of names to be added.