Senator Kavanagh's Follow-Up Statement on Police Accountability Including Repeal of 'Section 50-a' Secrecy Law

In response to inquiries about pending legislation to promote police accountability, I want to follow up and specify several bills--by the numbers--that I support to address the issues I referenced in my statement on Saturday. See statement here.

To end unnecessary secrecy regarding police misconduct and disciplinary processes, I support Senator Jamaal Bailey’s Bill S3695, and have added my name as a co-sponsor, to repeal Civil Rights Law Section 50-a. This legislation can be viewed here.

To ensure fair and thorough investigations whenever there is a death as a result of interaction with the police or while a person is in police custody, I also support and co-sponsor Senator Bailey’s Bill S2574, to establish a special office to conduct such investigations and initiate prosecutions where appropriate. I have had the opportunity to vote in favor of this bill in the past, and look forward to doing so again. This legislation can be viewed here.

To ensure that the public has the information necessary to assess the often disparate impact of policing on various communities, I support and co-sponsor Senator Brad Hoylman's Bill S1830, to require all police departments to report demographic and geographic data on their enforcement activities, including low-level offenses. Again, I have voted for this legislation in the past, on the Assembly floor in 2017 and as a member of the Senate Codes Committee last year. This legislation can be viewed here.

I will work with my colleagues to take decisive action in the coming days to increase public accountability of our police departments. I thank everyone in the communities I represent and other concerned New Yorkers who have contacted my office regarding these profoundly important issues.

###