CWA District 1 Statement on the Repeal of 50-a

CWA District 1 is in strong support of the repeal of statute 50-a, which would ensure transparency of police misconduct and disciplinary records. We are outraged and devastated by the police killings of black and brown people and the lack of accountability among the very people whose responsibility it is to “protect and serve.” We applaud the New York State legislature’s commitment to repeal 50-a. 

As the State bill states, "(S 50-a) creates a legal shield that prohibits disclosure, even when it is known that misconduct has occurred. Freedom of Information Law's ( FOIL's) public policy goals, which are to make government agencies and their employees accountable to the public, are thus undermined by the statute. Outright appeal of this statute will positively affect public trust in law enforcement and serve to hold police and other uniformed law enforcement officials to the same level of accountability applied to all other public employees:" 

We refuse to go back to a “normal” that allows for police misconduct to be kept in secrecy and systemic racism to be swept under the rug, and instead demand to move forward towards justice. That path requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency.