Int. No.
By The Speaker (Council Member Menin) and Council Members Vernikov, Ariola, Dinowitz, Schulman, Abreu, Gennaro, Ung and Louis
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to a plan to establish security perimeters at places of religious worship
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 10 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 10-188 to read as follows:
§ 10-188 Plan to establish security perimeters at places of religious worship. a. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
Interference. The term “interference” means restricting an individual’s freedom of movement.
Intimidation. The term “intimidation” means placing an individual in reasonable fear of physical harm to themselves or to another individual.
Place of religious worship. The term “place of religious worship” means a building, structure, or place that is used primarily for religious or divine worship or assembly.
Roadway. The term “roadway” means the portion of a street designed, improved, or ordinarily used for vehicular travel, exclusive of the shoulder and slope.
Sidewalk. The term “sidewalk” means the portion of a street between the curb lines, or the lateral lines of a roadway, and the adjacent property lines that is intended for the use of pedestrians.
Street. The term “street” means, section 1-112 notwithstanding, any public street, avenue, road, alley, lane, highway, boulevard, concourse, parkway, driveway, culvert, crosswalk, boardwalk, viaduct, or square, and does not include a sidewalk.
b. No later than 15 days after the effective date of the local law that added this section, the police commissioner shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council, and post on the police department’s website, a plan to address injury, intimidation, and interference at and near places of religious worship in the city by establishing and maintaining fixed security perimeters at each entrance and each exit of such places of religious worship. The plan shall specify:
1. The conditions that trigger the establishment and removal of such perimeters, with the police commissioner assessing safety and a sense of security at and near a place of religious worship and considering complaints received by the police commissioner pertaining to the same;
2. That such perimeters will be established at a distance of up to 100 feet from each such entrance and exit, and in determining such distance, the police commissioner shall avoid closing any street except where necessary and appropriate for the protection of the public and of individuals seeking to enter and exit from places of religious worship;
3. That such entrances and exits include but are not limited to entrances and exits of any parking lot or driveway of a place of religious worship;
4. That such perimeters must be established and maintained using, at a minimum, police barriers or police line barrier tape;
5. That such perimeters must not impede emergency access to or egress from places of religious worship, including but not limited to access or egress by emergency personnel; and
6. Strategies for the police department to engage with the public and individuals seeking to enter and exit from places of religious worship in connection with the perimeters established under such plan, including but not limited to strategies to handle instances of injury, intimidation, and interference.
c. The police commissioner retains discretion under such plan to determine the places of religious worship at which such perimeters shall be established and the hours during which such perimeters shall be maintained.
d. The police commissioner shall implement such plan no later than 30 days after the effective date of the local law that added this section.
§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.
REC
LS #21301/20864/20910/20894/21304
1/26/2026 10:25 AM