Statement from 7 Leading Civic and Journalism Groups on Legislature’s Repeal of Police Secrecy Law 50-a and Modification of FOIL

Our groups thank Assemblymember Danny O’Donnell and Senator Jamaal Bailey, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and the Assembly and State Senate for passing S8496/A10611. Our groups strongly support this bill and ask Governor Cuomo to sign it immediately, without modification or chapter amendment.

The bill repeals Section 50-a of the Civil Rights Law and modifies the Public Officers Law so that disciplinary records of police, fire and correction officers are subject to public disclosure via a Freedom of Information request.

Transparency and accountability advocates have argued for years that 50-a should be repealed. The State’s own Committee on Open Government officially called for repealing 50-a as far back as 2014, calling it a “loophole” in Freedom of Information Law. It took huge street demonstrations and a massive, prolonged public call for police accountability to get 50-a repealed by the legislature. But the public and legislature have spoken and the Governor must sign this important transparency measure.