In what seems to be a huge setback for transparency, the NYC Police Department has decided to hide from the public disciplinary actions for it's officers. A standard practice for journalists and families to review, has all of the sudden disappeared. The department is taking advantage of a state statute that the legal department never knew existed to hide from the public disciplinary actions of it's officers.
By doing so, it will be much less transparent.
Why is this important? If a police officer breaks the trust of their position, their transgressions can be hidden from the public. This sort of privilege can be taken advantage of by officers who are reckless on and off duty. What may seem to be an accident to the general public, could be a cover up of a negligence by officers. In a sense, they can hide behind the badge when they make mistakes or worse yet, purposeful damage to another individual.
This surely will not help bridge the gap of mistrust with groups like Black Lives Matter. In fact, it only proves their point. Another problem is the silence of Mayor DeBlasio, who ran on a platform of greater transparency for all departments in NYC.
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