Police Records: Acquisition of 10,000 Police Disciplinary Documents
The past two years have seen a significant shift in the transparency of the New York State Police, as various news outlets and civil rights groups have been working tirelessly to uncover misconduct records that were once hidden behind the veil of the now-repealed law known as 50-a.
In June 2023, The New York Times and New York Focus began this investigative journey, sending over 800 records requests to the state police and several other law enforcement agencies. This move came after the repeal of 50-a, which previously prohibited the release of such records.
The New York State Police, however, has yet to make its body of misconduct files public. In contrast, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle was one of the first news outlets to request records from all of the state's police departments following the law's repeal.
The investigation has uncovered a wide array of misconduct, including extreme negligence, intentional misconduct such as driving under the influence, distraction by cell phones, and other offenses related to vehicle accidents and personal injury cases.
The state's modified records laws, enacted in September 2024, require agencies to notify current and former employees before the release of personnel records. This change, coupled with staffing shortages in several departments, has led to lengthy delays in fulfilling some requests.
The New York Civil Liberties Union and the Legal Aid Society have taken legal action against several police agencies, including the New York Police Department, the Rochester Police Department, and the New York State Police, for refusing to release their records.
In addition to requesting files directly from police departments, The New York Times and New York Focus spent the past two years requesting records from county district attorneys' offices. This strategy has proven fruitful, as many of these offices collected records to comply with the state's expanded discovery laws, and in some cases, district attorneys' offices provided records even when local departments denied they existed.
Through this diligent effort, The New York Times and New York Focus have uncovered thousands of the department's records related to 1,200 officers in seven of the agency's 11 divisions. These findings provide a glimpse into the inner workings of the New York State Police and highlight the importance of transparency in maintaining public trust.
The journey towards full transparency is ongoing, but the strides made so far are a testament to the power of investigative journalism and the relentless pursuit of truth.
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