New York lawmakers stan with BLM values in the wake of a nationwide civil unrest following the unlawful murder of George Floyd by a police officer.
This new move ultimately repeals Section 50a; which is a state law used by police departments to protect their records. Eliminating this law would make complaints against police public for the first time in decades according News 4 New York.
Back in 2019, when the idea was somewhat ‘fresh on the table’, Fremont destroyed decades of police records.
“Fremont’s decision is problematic because the Legislature made a decision, they made specific findings that transparency around police shootings, uses of force and incidents of serious misconduct is necessary to building public trust”, said Peter Bibring, director of police practices for the American Civil Liberties Union of California.
A few other cities have also tried their hand at discarding their skeletons. In 2018, Inglewood City Council voted to approve the destruction of more than 100 police misconduct investigation files.
However, thankfully, now in 2020, New York has taken the lead to exemplify integrity within the police force, giving the bill new momentum.