#Gov. Cuomo presses police to make changes by April 1 or lose state cash

Gov. Cuomo told protesters demanding racial justice “you won” and pressed the state’s police departments to formulate a plan for “systemic reform” by April 1 or lose state money.

“If you don’t do it, local government, you won’t get any state funding. Period,” Cuomo said Saturday at his daily briefing. “You have to pass a law with your redesigned police force.”

He said each community had to come up with its own plan.

“I’m not going to tell New York City what kind of police force they should have,” he said.

The governor turned the heat up a day after he signed the New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative requiring agencies to come up with a plan “that reinvents and modernizes police strategies and programs in their community based on community input.”

The redesign then must be passed into law by the local government.

“Take this moment and make change,” Cuomo said.

Asked if a municipality would lose all state money if it did not comply, the governor said it would “be a significant amount of funds.”