NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A2669
SPONSOR: Blumencranz TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the civil rights law, in relation to the confidentiality
of the identity of an undercover officer
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of this legislation is to create stronger laws protecting
the identity of an undercover officer.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
The bill adds a new Section 50-f to the Civil Rights Law to provide that
the identity of an undercover officer must be confidential if such
disclosure would endanger the officer or compromise the officer's effec-
tiveness.
JUSTIFICATION:
This bill protects under cover officers by creating a presumption that
disclosure of an undercover officer's identity would endanger the offi-
cer or compromise the officer's effectiveness.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
A.5189 of 2021/22; held for consideration in Codes;
A.4359 of 2019/20; referred to Codes;
A.2247 of 2017/18; held for consideration in Codes;
A.8150 of 2015/16; held for consideration in Codes.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2669
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 26, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BLUMENCRANZ -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the civil rights law, in relation to the confidentiality
of the identity of an undercover officer
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The civil rights law is amended by adding a new section
2 50-g to read as follows:
3 § 50-g. Identity of an undercover officer. The identity of any under-
4 cover officer shall be confidential if such disclosure would endanger
5 the officer or compromise the officer's effectiveness. No report, paper,
6 picture, photograph, court file or other documents, in the custody or
7 possession of any public officer or employee, which identifies such an
8 officer, shall be made available for public inspection. No such public
9 officer or employee shall disclose any portion of any police report or
10 other document which tends to identify such a person without the express
11 written consent of such undercover officer or being mandated by lawful
12 court order.
13 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06913-01-3
