ALBANY — An assemblywoman under fire for sponsoring a bill that asks cops to shoot gun-wielding suspects in the arms and legs brushed off the outrage yesterday — although she admitted she is no expert on police work.
Asked about her critics’ contention that the proposed legislation will put police lives at risk, Annette Robinson (D-Brooklyn) told The Post: “I understand that.”
She insisted that cops use too much force, but acknowledged she is unqualified to assess the issue.
“Not being a police officer, I would not be able to discuss the instance or the time that happens, but I do know that it happens, most often in the communities that I represent, and it happens too often,” she said.
The “shoot to wound” bill would require cops to aim for a suspect’s arms or legs instead of their midsection, where wounds would more likely be fatal.
But “police are not champion marksmen,” an angry Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes said yesterday. “It’s unrealistic to think cops can shoot someone in the leg in the heat of the moment.”
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly added, “It makes no sense to anyone who knows anything about law enforcement.”
Robinson has the support of Assemblyman Darryl Towns (D-Brooklyn), who added, “We have had several cases that have been questioned and I supported my colleague in her approach and I think our intent is to open up discussion and have debate.”
The bill was originally pitched in 2000 — a year after the police shooting of unarmed immigrant Amadou Diallo — by then-Sen. David Paterson.
Additional reporting by Edmund DeMarche