Crying for sunshine on cop records

Ahead of a state Senate hearing on the law that keeps cops’ disciplinary records secret, advocates gathered at City Hall Wednesday to urge pols to repeal the rule.

New York is one of just two states with a law that restricts public access to information on police officers’ discipline records, according to advocates who say the Empire State’s legislation is among the most restrictive in the country. There are 12 states that make their cop disciplinary records public.

“Keeping this information secret undermines public confidence in our police and shields the wrongdoing of a minority of officers,” said state Sen. Richard Gottfried. “This is a disservice to good officers, who I believe are the vast majority, and creates real danger for the public.”

The NYPD in 2016 chose to rule that section 50-a of the state Civil Rights Law allows the department to keep the records secret, countermanding about 40 years of prior practice.

The Legal Aid Society and the New York Civil Liberties Union filed lawsuits challenging the NYPD’s decision, but were ultimately ruled against by appellate courts.

At least two bills to change the law have been mired in Albany since late 2016.

“New Yorkers deserve to know that the people protecting them are held to the same standards as the rest of the public.,” said state Sen. Julia Salazar (D-Bushwick), who also attended the rally Wednesday.

The Senate hearing is slated for Thursday at 10 a.m. in lower Manhattan.

In the most recent highprofile disciplinary case, Officer Daniel Pantaleo was found guilty of using a chokehold and contributing to the death of Eric Garner in 2014 on Staten Island, but the public only learned the outcome because it filtered out to the media.

“50-a must be repealed at the start of the 2020 legislative session,” Garner’s mom Gwen Carr said. “

The police unions have argued that repealing 50-a would create safety issues for police officers and their families.