50-a

New York Civil Rights Law § 50-a was a section of the New York Civil Rights Law, enacted in 1976, which required the concealment of disciplinary records of police officers, firefighters, and prison officers from the public. Under the former law, any "personnel records" were "confidential and not subject to inspection or review," unless the officer granted permission for their release.

The stated rationale for the law was to protect law enforcement officers who served as witnesses for the prosecution in trials. In particular, the law was meant to protect officers from subpoenas seeking misconduct records issued by defense attorneys. Section 50-a was a major source of controversy from its enactment, with civil rights activists blaming it for a lack of police accountability, saying that it served to preserve institutional racism, and calling it one of the strongest police secrecy laws in the country.

On June 12, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed to repeal the law as part of New York State Assembly/Senate Bill A10611/S8496.