50-a

50-a
New York State Legislature
Full nameNew York Civil Rights Law § 50-a
Signed into law1976
Section50-a
Status: Repealed

New York Civil Rights Law § 50-a was a section of the New York Civil Rights Law, enacted in 1976, which required the concealment of disciplinary records of police officers, firefighters, and prison officers from the public.[1][2][3] Under the former law, any "personnel records" were "confidential and not subject to inspection or review," unless the officer granted permission for their release.[2]

The stated rationale for the law was to protect law enforcement officers who served as witnesses for the prosecution in trials.[3] In particular, the law was meant to protect officers from subpoenas seeking misconduct records issued by defense attorneys. Section 50-a was a major source of controversy from its enactment, with civil rights activists blaming it for a lack of police accountability, saying that it served to preserve institutional racism, and calling it one of the strongest police secrecy laws in the country.[4]

On June 12, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed to repeal the law as part of New York State Assembly/Senate Bill A10611/S8496.[5]

  1. ^ "The law that shields police records, explained". Brooklyn Eagle. April 23, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "The state legislature may repeal 50-a. Here's what that means". Queens Daily Eagle. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "How New York protects police records from public view". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  4. ^ Wykstra, Stephanie (June 16, 2020). "The fight for transparency in police misconduct, explained". Vox. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).