Name: Cuomo signs historic 50-a repeal bill, making N.Y. police disciplinary records public after decades of secrecy
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Cuomo signs historic 50-a repeal bill, making N.Y. police disciplinary records public after decades of secrecy

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AdvertisementBy New York Daily NewsJun 12, 2020 at 4:58 pmHere comes the sunshine.Gov. Cuomo signed legislation on Friday that will prevent the NYPD and other police departments in the state from keeping the public in the dark when it comes to disciplinary records.AdvertisementThe measure — passed by the Legislature this week as part of a package of law enforcement reforms following the death of George Floyd — repeals 50-a, a section of New York law dating back to 1976 that allowed police, fire and corrections departments to keep disciplinary and personnel records under wraps.“There’s no trust and if there is no trust, the relationship doesn’t work,” the governor said as he signed the bill at his Manhattan office. “If there’s no trust, the police can’t effectively police. If there’s no trust, the community is not going to allow the police to police.Advertisement“There is no trust or there is a breach of the trust and that has to be restored,” he added.State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers), Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) and civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton joined Cuomo as he signed the repeal along with three other bills.The new law, effective immediately, makes disciplinary records subject to Freedom of Information Law requests from journalists and the public, shining a light on the well-guarded files after decades of secrecy.“The truth is this: Police reform is long overdue, and Mr. Floyd’s murder is just the most recent murder," Cuomo said. “It’s about being here before — many, many times before.”In the next breath, the governor announced an executive order that requires the roughly 500 police departments across the Empire State to develop a plan by April 1, 2021 to address systemic racism in their ranks. If a department doesn’t follow through, Cuomo said he will strip it of state funding.“We’re not going to be as a state government subsidizing improper police tactics. We’re not doing it,” Cuomo said. “And this is how we’re going to do it."Stewart-Cousins, who played a large role in shepherding the 50-a repeal through the Senate, echoed the governor’s sentiment and stressed that the battle for justice isn’t over.“We know this isn’t a cure,” she said. “We know that this is the beginning, but it’s a move to bring justice to a system that has long been unjust.”AdvertisementSharpton, who’s led the push for police reform for decades, was widely praised by Cuomo for “standing up” and “making sure the people of this nation heard every time every injustice happened."Sharpton returned the favor and gave Cuomo a particularly hearty pat on the back for his executive order threatening to defund police departments.“He has raised the bar,” Sharpton said.Advocates and legal defense groups also applauded the move.“Finally, after years of advocacy, New York has struck down one of the nation’s most secretive laws, a law that shielded police misconduct from public scrutiny," said Tina Luongo, attorney-in-charge of the Criminal Defense Practice at The Legal Aid Society. “Sadly, we will never know the full breadth and depth of the injustices created under the previous system that deprived New Yorkers access to this fundamental information.”In addition to amending 50-a, Cuomo signed three other long-sought police reform bills approved by the Legislature amid widespread civil unrest over Floyd’s caught-on-camera death at the hands of a white Minneapolis cop.AdvertisementOne measure grants the state attorney general’s office the ability to investigate and potentially prosecute incidents when a person dies in custody or after an encounter with a police officer. Another makes it a hate crime to call 911 to report false claims based on a person’s race.Also included in the batch is the “Eric Garner Act," which bans officers from using chokeholds and allows prosecutors to charge cops if they do and injure or kill someone. Garner died after being put in a chokehold by NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo on Staten Island in 2014. His death — and a final cry of “I can’t breathe” — helped spark the Black Lives Matter movement.Pantaleo, who wasn’t fired until August 2019, was able to keep his disciplinary records from public view thanks to 50-a, making the law a point of contention in the aftermath of Garner’s death.Gwen Carr, Eric Garner’s mother, attended the Friday signing. As Cuomo put ink on the bill, Carr mused: "It was a long time coming, but it came.”As it happensGet updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. &gt; Police unions and Republicans say the repeal of 50-a could expose sensitive information about officers and prevent them from doing their jobs.However, just like other city and state records subject to Freedom of Information Law requests, personal details, such as phone numbers and home addresses, cannot be divulged to the public.AdvertisementPat Lynch, the president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, representing rank-and-file NYPD officers, slammed Cuomo over the bill and his threat to pull state funds from cops.“Governor Cuomo and our legislative leaders have no business celebrating today," he said. "New York state had been failing our communities for decades: failing to provide economic opportunity, failing to educate our youth, failing to care for the vulnerable and the mentally ill.“Police officers spend our days addressing issues caused by these failures. Now, we won’t even be able to do that,” he added.In addition to the four bills signed by the governor on Friday, the Democrat-led Legislature passed six other law enforcement reform-oriented measures this week.The remaining bills, which Cuomo is also expected to sign, implement a ban on race-based profiling, mandate state police to wear body cameras and require police departments to provide medical training to officers, among other provisions. Advertisement

AdvertisementBy New York Daily NewsJun 12, 2020 at 4:58 pmHere comes the sunshine.Gov. Cuomo signed legislation on Friday that will prevent the NYPD and other police departments in the state from keeping the public in the dark when it comes to disciplinary records.AdvertisementThe measure — passed by the Legislature this week as part of a package of law enforcement reforms following the death of George Floyd — repeals 50-a, a section of New York law dating back to 1976 that allowed police, fire and corrections departments to keep disciplinary and personnel records under wraps.“There’s no...

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Cuomo signs historic 50-a repeal bill, making N.Y. police disciplinary records public after decades of secrecy

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