New York Codes, Rules and Regulations
Title 9 - EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
Subtitle A - Governor's Office
Chapter I - Executive Orders
Part 4 - Executive Orders (Mario M. Cuomo)
Section 4.160 - Executive order no. 160: directing a review of the criminal investigation and prosecution arising from the murder of yankel rosenbaum

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 39, September 25, 2024

WHEREAS, the primary role of government in a civilized society is to provide for the safety and security of the people in its jurisdiction;

WHEREAS, this role of government in our society extends to ensuring that tolerance and respect for each individual is fostered throughout our system of government, including our criminal justice system;

WHEREAS, members of all communities have an expectation that the criminal justice system will function effectively to provide justice;

WHEREAS, on August 19, 1991, Yankel Rosenbaum was murdered during a disturbance in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York and accounts of the event indicate that although many individuals took part, only one individual was charged, and tried by a jury which rendered a verdict of acquittal which must be heeded;

WHEREAS, the verdict has generated a feeling of mistrust and suspicion of the criminal justice system by those who are unable to reconcile the verdict with their sense of justice;

WHEREAS, regardless of how one responds to the verdict, these events have undermined confidence in the criminal justice system resulting in a climate which has polarized communities in the City of New York and elsewhere;

WHEREAS, it is in the interest of justice that the Director of Criminal Justice and Commissioner of the Division of Criminal Justice Services for the State of New York (hereinafter the Director) review and evaluate the operation of the criminal justice system in this matter;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mario M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Laws of the State of New York, do hereby order that Richard H. Girgenti, the Director of Criminal Justice and Commissioner of the Division of Criminal Justice Services for the State of New York, review the response of law enforcement to the August 1991 disturbance in Crown Heights and the facts and circumstances surrounding the criminal investigation and prosecution arising from the death of Yankel Rosenbaum.