Second Circuit Court Lifts Stay, Last Obstacle in Release of Police Misconduct and Discipline Records Cleared

Today, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals once again cleared the way for NYPD officer misconduct and discipline records to be released to the public, as per the repeal of 50-a last year, by clarifying that their February 16th decision includes lifting a stay that had been in place since September. 

“The Second Circuit reaffirmed in February that police misconduct and disciplinary records should be made public, we believed the records should have been released then, but now that the stay has been lifted, there are no more excuses for Mayor de Blasio and the NYPD,” said Manny Vaz, (they) spokesperson for Communities United for Police Reform. “New Yorkers have been fighting to defend last summer’s repeal of 50-a while police unions have done everything they can to stop it. We are calling on the de Blasio administration to immediately publish the police misconduct databases that they claimed would be ready last summer, and to stop blocking FOIL requests on police violence so that New Yorkers can finally have some measure of transparency.”

About Communities United for Police Reform

Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) is an unprecedented campaign to end discriminatory policing practices in New York, and to build a lasting movement that promotes public safety and reduces reliance on policing. CPR runs coalitions of over 200 local, statewide and national organizations, bringing together a movement of community members, lawyers, researchers and activists to work for change. The partners in this campaign come from all 5 boroughs, from all walks of life and represent many of those most unfairly targeted by the NYPD.