Governor signs bills aiming to address police misconduct following nationwide protests

National outrage over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed last month after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, has led to protests and unrest in all 50 states and now, renewed calls for criminal justice reforms.

Earlier this week, New York lawmakers voted to repeal 50-a, a law that shields officers’ disciplinary records from being made public.

The bill, which passed in both the Senate and Assembly earlier this week, also bans police use of chokeholds and false, race-based calls to 911.

The legislation was signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo Friday.

“This is not just about Mr. Floyd’s murder,” he said. “It’s about being here before. Many, many times before. Today is about ‘enough is enough.’ ”

In addition to signing the package of bills into law, Mr. Cuomo announced an executive order that will require municipalities and their respective police departments to develop a plan that addresses use of force, implicit bias, de-escalation techniques, restorative justice and other issues raised by the community.

“This is systemic reform of police departments,” the governor said, noting that the goal is to restore trust in police especially in communities of color.

Police agencies that do not comply, he said, will not be eligible to receive state funding.

The new law makes it a “civil rights violation to call 911 to report a non-emergency incident involving a member of a protected class without reason to suspect a crime or an imminent threat.”

Criminal justice reform advocates, including the Innocence Project, Legal Aid Society and New York Civil Liberties Union all lauded the measure. 

In a statement, NYCLU executive director Donna Lieberman described 50-a as “the most restrictive police secrecy law in the country,” and said its repeal was long overdue.

“This repeal is the result of years of work by advocates led by families whose loved ones have been killed by police and who were routinely rebuffed when they tried to find out whether the department was doing anything to hold the officers accountable,” Ms. Lieberman said. “The NYPD invoked 50-a to hide the long disciplinary record of Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who killed Eric Garner. The Garner family only found out about Pantaleo’s record after it was leaked to a reporter. Too many other families and loved ones have faced those same barriers to justice. The old system of police violence and impunity can no longer stand.”

Disciplinary records have also been brought to light in the wake of Mr. Floyd’s murder. Multiple reports indicate that Derek Chauvin, the officer responsible for his death, has had at least 18 complaints filed against him that include excessive force.

“Sunlight is the best disinfectant, and we know that transparency is a critical first step to change the way police interact with communities in New York,” said Tina Luongo, attorney in charge of the criminal defense practice at the Legal Aid Society in a statement.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said the county is looking forward to working with the state.

“These are issues that the Suffolk County Police Department has been working on for many years now and have developed some really leading edge initiatives,” Mr. Bellone, a Democrat, said.