What's happening
This bill amends the civil rights law to clarify that only personnel records created and used solely for evaluating employment or promotion of police, firefighters, and correction officers are confidential.
Why it matters
Narrows what is confidential. By specifying that only personnel records “created and used solely” for evaluating job performance or promotion are confidential, the bill could make more types of records about police, firefighters, and correction officers available to the public or in court.
Enhances transparency. This change could increase public access to records related to complaints, investigations, and disciplinary actions, since such records are often used for more purposes than just employment evaluation.
Impacts accountability. By limiting what can be withheld as confidential, the bill may make it easier for oversight agencies, journalists, and the public to scrutinize the conduct of law enforcement and emergency personnel.
Alters legal protections. The amendment clarifies and tightens the scope of privacy protections for affected employees, potentially affecting how legal cases involving personnel records are argued and decided.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Keep Police Records Confidential
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Multi-sponsor
History
- Advanced to third reading cal.691
- Reported
- Referred to codes
- Reported referred to rules
- Reported referred to codes
- Referred to governmental operations
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Keep Police Records Private
In Senate Committee · Codes · Sponsor Kevin S. Parker
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3335
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 27, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. O'DONNELL, QUART, SIMON, GOTTFRIED -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the civil rights law, in relation to personnel records of police officers, firefighters and correction officers
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 50-a of the civil rights law, as amended by chapter 516 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
1. All personnel records created and used solely to evaluate performance toward continued employment or promotion, under the control of any police agency or department of the state or any political subdivision thereof including authorities or agencies maintaining police forces of individuals defined as police officers in section 1.20 of the criminal procedure law and such personnel records under the control of a sheriff's department or a department of correction of individuals employed as correction officers and such personnel records under the control of a paid fire department or force of individuals employed as firefighters or firefighter/paramedics and such personnel records under the control of the department of corrections and community supervision for individuals defined as peace officers pursuant to subdivisions twenty-three and twenty-three-a of section 2.10 of the criminal procedure law and such personnel records under the control of a probation department for individuals defined as peace officers pursuant to subdivision twenty-four of section 2.10 of the criminal procedure law shall be considered confidential and not subject to inspection or review without the express written consent of such police officer, firefighter, firefighter/paramedic, correction officer or peace officer within the department of corrections and community supervision or probation department except as may be mandated by lawful court order.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04187-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.