What Changed

On January 7, 2026, New York Senate Bill S5566 was referred again to the Senate Codes Committee, keeping it alive in the 2025–2026 session. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Patricia Fahy, was first referred to that committee on February 25, 2025. An earlier version, S9720, was introduced in the 2023–2024 session.

The bill has not passed the Senate. It is in committee, and nothing is guaranteed.

What It Says

S5566 would amend New York's executive law to require the state's Municipal Police Training Council to create policies, procedures and ongoing training for police officers on safe driving of police vehicles. The bill text requires:

  • "A minimum of forty hours of training" in the basic course for police officers.
  • "A minimum of four hours of training" in police in-service training courses.
  • It would take effect immediately if enacted. The sponsor memo lists the fiscal implications as "None."

The sponsor memo lays out the reasons:

  • It says motor vehicle collisions are "the second leading cause of death for on-duty police officers nationwide," citing the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
  • Citing a Times Union analysis, it says the number of severe crashes involving New York police cars "more than doubled from 2012 to 2019."
  • It says New York "requires a minimum of 21 hours of emergency vehicle operations training" for new officers and has no ongoing requirement. It compares that with California, which, according to the memo, requires 40 hours for new officers and four hours every two years for veterans.

For national context, the NLEOMF's 2025 year-end report counted 34 traffic-related officer deaths in 2025, down 23% from 44 in 2024. That included 21 crash deaths and 13 officers struck by vehicles. Firearms were the leading cause, with 44 deaths.

Why It Matters Operationally

Patrol officers drive every shift. They drive at night, in bad weather, while running the radio and the computer, and sometimes at speed toward a call where someone is hurt. The memo's point stands: 21 hours in the academy and nothing after that is a single exposure, not a maintained skill.

For ODM, a crash is also a casualty event. An officer pinned behind the wheel, or struck while working a scene, may be the only responder there for several minutes. The Joint Trauma System's Damage Control Resuscitation guideline states that "hemorrhage is the leading cause of preventable death on the battlefield" and that point-of-injury bleeding control combined with rapid evacuation saves lives. A highway isn't a battlefield. But a belted, trapped officer who can't reach their own tourniquet has the same problem.

ODM's Position

Position: Driving is officer-safety training and should be treated like firearms. That means recurring, performance-based and done under stress, not a single academy block.

Evidence: The sponsor memo, citing NLEOMF, calls collisions the second leading cause of on-duty officer deaths nationwide. Even in 2025, which NLEOMF describes as an 80-year low for officer deaths overall, it counted 34 traffic-related deaths. The sponsor memo documents a gap between New York's standard and at least one other large state.

Strongest counterpoint: Hours by themselves don't prove competence, and a bigger number in statute doesn't guarantee better driving. Agencies that are already short-staffed will also point out that every in-service hour pulls an officer off the street. The memo's "None" fiscal note doesn't account for backfill overtime, track time or vehicle wear, which local budgets will pay for. Those concerns are fair. Mandates without money are just paperwork.

What good looks like: A defined standard, measured by performance rather than attendance. Refresher training on a set cycle. Scenarios that combine driving decisions with radio traffic, stress and crash response. And state funding that pays for the hours it requires.

What Your Agency Should Do Now

  • Audit your own crash data. Count officer-involved crashes, injuries and pursuits for the past five years. That is your real training need.
  • Don't wait for a mandate. Build a recurring driving block into in-service training now, and document performance, not just attendance.
  • Train the crash as a casualty event. Include self-extrication, self-aid while belted and trapped, and scene safety for struck-by risk.
  • Check trauma kit reach. Make sure officers can reach a tourniquet with either hand while seated and belted.
  • Put a price on it. Estimate the cost of backfill and facilities so leaders and legislators see the real price of the standard.

Bottom Line

S5566 is only in committee, but the question it raises applies everywhere: is a one-time academy block enough for the task officers do most? ODM's answer is no. Readiness is a budget decision, and it should be made on purpose.

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