New York cops can't hide their records now.

Opinion | Good Riddance to One of America’s Strongest Police Secrecy Laws - The New York Times:

"New York took a step toward reform with the repeal Tuesday evening of a state law known as 50-a, a decades-old measure that has allowed the police to keep the disciplinary and personnel records of officers secret. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to sign the bill.

"New York’s 50-a is one of the strongest police secrecy laws in the country, the spoils of the unfettered political power New York police unions have enjoyed.

"For generations, the law has been used to keep officers accused of misconduct, as well as the departments they work for, from public scrutiny.

"Activists and police reformers have fought to repeal the law for years. Just a year ago, those efforts went nowhere. The State Legislature, even under a new Democratic majority, declined to change or repeal it. Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose administration has interpreted 50-a more strictly than his predecessors, said he supported changes to the law but he did not spend the political capital to make them happen.

"What changed is that people took to the streets in peaceful protest, a movement led by black New Yorkers and others who have fought for reforms for years. What made the difference was Americans watching police officers, here and across the country, beating unarmed protesters for the crime of demanding basic respect and human dignity from the departments financed by their tax dollars."

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