Appeals Court Rejects Bid for Open Access to Police Personnel Records (New York Law Journal)
New York Law Journal, January 18, 2019
Appeals Court Rejects Bid for Open Access to Police Personnel Records
“Organizations that are challenging a controversial New York State law that allows police departments to keep officers’ disciplinary records from the prying eyes of open records requests have been dealt another defeat in the courts. A panel from the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed a lower court’s ruling that the law, Civil Rights Law 50-a, prevents attorneys from the New York City Legal Aid Society and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton for the New York City Police Department from getting their hands on records relating to misconduct allegations against officers and punishments they received via the state’s Freedom of Information Law….A growing number of groups, including the New York City Bar Association, have thrown their support behind efforts to repeal 50-a; even officials from the New York City government, which has been victorious in cases regarding 50-a, has supported changes to the law.”
