Bill > A01463

This bill abolishes citizen's arrests in New York state by making several key changes to existing law. The legislation removes provisions that previously allowed private citizens to make arrests or use physical force to detain someone suspected of committing an offense. Under the new law, private individuals are only permitted to use physical force to prevent the escape of a person who has definitively committed a felony and is in immediate flight, and only when such force is reasonably necessary. The bill eliminates the previous broader language that allowed citizens to make arrests for various offenses and restricts the use of force to specific, limited circumstances. Notably, the bill updates language to be more gender-neutral, replacing gendered pronouns with "their" and "themself," and fundamentally changes the legal framework around citizen interventions in potential criminal situations. By repealing specific sections of the criminal procedure law and penal law, the legislation aims to reduce potential risks and complications that can arise from untrained individuals attempting to detain or apprehend suspected criminals, thereby leaving law enforcement responsibilities primarily to professional police officers.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A1463