New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to have the attorney general’s office investigate incidents in which New Yorkers are killed by police seems like another way for him to get publicity.

The death of civilians at the hands of police officers has been in the news a great deal in the last year or so.

Along with that has come increased scrutiny of local prosecutors, who some have said are too closely tied to law enforcement to properly investigate and potentially prosecute officers. The appointment of a special prosecutor is supposed to alleviate those concerns.

The mother of Eric Garner – who died last year in a police chokehold in Staten Island – was among the relatives of New Yorkers killed by police Cuomo met with Tuesday.

The fact that a news conference was involved for the relatives of those killed should tip people off about what was going on here – at least from Cuomo’s perspective.

Sadly, this is similar to what happened after the Newtown, Conn., shooting took place and the New York Secure Ammunitions and Firearms Enforcement Act was rushed through the Legislature.

Both proposals seem to have less to do with protecting the public than getting positive publicity.

As a recent story noted, part of the SAFE Act – involving registration of assault-style weapons – is largely being ignored. The act as a whole does not appear to have made state residents any safer from gun violence.

Even the idea for the special prosecutor is not necessarily a slam dunk. As some members of law enforcement have pointed out, there could be a great deal of pressure on a prosecutor to charge officers with something – even if they did nothing wrong. That would not serve the interests of justice.

There is also a question about how likely even a special prosecutor – who presumably will have some connection to members of law enforcement, even if it is not in that area – will be to prosecute police officers.

Given that the most recent proposal involves an executive order signed by the governor, it seems safe to say this is more about publicity than it is about efficiency or justice.