Bill Text: NY A02727 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Prevents unfounded complaints against police officers, peace officers, firefighters, correction officers and emergency medical service providers from being disclosed or added to such police officer, peace officer, firefighter, correction officer or emergency medical service provider's personnel record.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to governmental operations [A02727 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A02727-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2727

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 27, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. J. A. GIGLIO -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Governmental Operations

        AN ACT to  amend  the  civil  rights  law,  in  relation  to  preventing
          unfounded  complaints  against  police officers, peace officers, fire-
          fighters, correction officers and emergency medical service  providers
          from being disclosed or added to a personnel record

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The civil rights law is amended by  adding  a  new  section
     2  50-a to read as follows:
     3    §  50-a.  Personnel  records of police officers, peace officers, fire-
     4  fighters, correction officers and emergency medical  service  providers.
     5  1.  For  the purposes of this section, the term "personnel record" shall
     6  mean all personnel records used to evaluate performance toward continued
     7  employment or promotion, under the  control  of  any  police  agency  or
     8  department  of  the state or any political subdivision thereof including
     9  authorities or agencies maintaining police forces of individuals defined
    10  as police officers in section 1.20 of the  criminal  procedure  law  and
    11  such  personnel records under the control of a sheriff's department or a
    12  department of correction of individuals employed as correction  officers
    13  and  such  personnel records under the control of a paid fire department
    14  or    force    of    individuals    employed    as    firefighters    or
    15  firefighter/paramedics  and  such personnel records under the control of
    16  the department of corrections and community supervision for  individuals
    17  defined  as  peace  officers  pursuant  to subdivisions twenty-three and
    18  twenty-three-a of section 2.10 of the criminal procedure  law  and  such
    19  personnel  records under the control of a probation department for indi-
    20  viduals defined as peace officers pursuant to subdivision twenty-four of
    21  section 2.10 of the criminal procedure law and  such  personnel  records
    22  under  the control of an emergency medical service provider who provides
    23  emergency medical service as defined in section three  thousand  one  of

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07249-01-3

        A. 2727                             2

     1  the  public  health  law  for  individuals who provide emergency medical
     2  services.
     3    2.  (a)  Any  part  of  a  personnel record which contains information
     4  regarding a complaint  which  was  investigated  and  determined  to  be
     5  unfounded shall be considered confidential and not subject to inspection
     6  or  review  without  the express written consent of such police officer,
     7  firefighter, firefighter/paramedic, correction officer or peace  officer
     8  within  the  department  of  corrections  and  community  supervision or
     9  probation department, or emergency medical service  provider  except  as
    10  may be mandated by lawful court order.
    11    (b)  Prior  to issuing such court order the judge must review all such
    12  requests and give interested parties the opportunity  to  be  heard.  No
    13  such  order  shall  issue without a clear showing of facts sufficient to
    14  warrant the judge to request records for review.
    15    (c) If, after such hearing, the judge concludes there is a  sufficient
    16  basis, the judge shall sign an order requiring that the relevant portion
    17  of such personnel records in question be sealed and sent directly to the
    18  court.  The judge shall then review the file and make a determination as
    19  to whether the relevant portion of such records are relevant and materi-
    20  al in such action. Upon such a finding the court shall make those  parts
    21  of the record found to be relevant and material available to the persons
    22  so requesting.
    23    3.  No  information  regarding  a  complaint against a police officer,
    24  peace officer, firefighter, correction  officer,  or  emergency  medical
    25  service  provider  which was investigated and determined to be unfounded
    26  shall be included in such police officer,  peace  officer,  firefighter,
    27  correction  officer,  or  emergency medical service provider's personnel
    28  record.
    29    4. The provisions of this section shall  not  apply  to  any  district
    30  attorney  or  his  or her assistants, the attorney general or his or her
    31  deputies or assistants, a county attorney or  his  or  her  deputies  or
    32  assistants,  a corporation counsel or his or her deputies or assistants,
    33  a town attorney or his or her deputies or assistants, a village attorney
    34  or his or her deputies or assistants, a grand jury,  or  any  agency  of
    35  government  which  requires  the records described in subdivision one of
    36  this section, in the furtherance of their official functions.
    37    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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