“Today’s ruling does not end our fight to protect our members’ safety and due process rights,” he said. The order by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld a lower-court ruling and addressed complaints raised by the unions, including the fear that the disclosures could heighten the risks for police officers. “We fully and unequivocally respect the dangers and risks police officers face every day,” the panel said. The court noted that although numerous other states also make such records available publicly, “the unions have pointed to no evidence from any jurisdiction that the availability of such records resulted in harm to employment opportunities.”“Today’s ruling confirms the obvious: The unions’ arguments were inconsistent with the law and the will of New Yorkers,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, which had filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the records’ release. While Mr. de Blasio praised the ruling Tuesday, his administration has drawn criticism in the past for using an expansive interpretation of the 50-a provision to fend off efforts to obtain the disciplinary records of Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who put Eric Garner in a fatal chokehold on Staten Island.

Source: New York Times February 17, 2021 01:07 UTC