George Floyd protests: Cuomo gives local governments 9 months to 'birth' police reform

NEW YORK -- Under threat of losing state funding, Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave local governments in New York nine months to "birth" police reform.

Cuomo set a deadline of April 1, 2021 for cities and counties to pass laws enacting their redesigned police forces.

"You don't want state funding, then you don't have to do it," Cuomo said. "That's the incentive to actually go through the process of redesigning the police."

Cuomo said the demands of protesters in the wake of George Floyd's death while in police custody were heard and that the community should be heavily involved in shaping policing going forward.

"At the table activists, stakeholders, police, government officials, you design your police force and you do it now," Cuomo said.

Cuomo called on municipalities to come up with the specific reforms they want and to make them the law.

"We are going to birth a new vision for a police force, community by community, because there is no one size fits all," Cuomo said.

Cuomo said the measure must be taken to restore the public's trust and respect in the police.

"The relationship is broken in many of these communities," Cuomo said. "Take this moment and make change."

Cuomo seems to have taken a note from recent protests which called for defunding the police, either fully or partially, and reallocating the money to other public health and social programs.

On Friday, members of the New York City Council proposed slashing $1 billion in NYPD spending in the 2021 fiscal budget.

Several other major U.S. cities are also looking to reform their police departments and budgets.

Seattle, Washington is reviewing its police budget, Louisville, Kentucky banned the use of "no-knock" warrants, Washington, D.C., Sacramento, California and the state of New Jersey outlawed police using neck restraints or chokeholds and Minneapolis, Minnesota disbanded the city's entire police force.