NYCLU Statement on Court Order Blocking NYPD Misconduct Data

NEW YORK – This evening a federal court ordered the NYCLU not to release NYPD officer misconduct complaints it obtained last week from the Civilian Complaint Review Board in response to a Freedom of Information Law request. The order comes as part of a lawsuit against the city by law enforcement unions in the wake of the repeal of section 50-a, which the city and state had argued shielded police disciplinary records from public view. The NYCLU was not a party to the lawsuit, but has received police misconduct data from the CCRB.

New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Donna Lieberman offered the following statement in response:

“The NYCLU obtained police misconduct data lawfully from the CCRB through an open-records request before the unions filed their lawsuit. It is inconceivable that a court would block us from making it public. We vehemently disagree with the court’s order, and will contest it immediately. For too long, New Yorkers have remained in the dark about officers accused of misconduct, the outcomes of investigations, and what discipline officers faced, if any. With the repeal of section 50-a of the civil rights law, the state legislature cleared the way to lift the shroud of secrecy that has shielded police wrongdoing from public view. It is imperative that this information is released as soon as possible, and we will continue to fight in court until it is.”