Lawsuit filed by police unions in New York challenging release of “unsubstantiated, unfounded, exonerated, and pending disciplinary” matters. What about our rights, lawsuit asks?
NEW YORK, N.Y.
Attorneys representing an estimated sixty-thousand New York City public safety personnel—today filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court to block New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s announced plans to publicly release details of unproven and in many cases uninvestigated allegations of non-criminal misconduct.
The lawsuit filed today—on behalf of the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York, Uniformed Fire Officers Association, Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association of the City of New York, Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, Sergeants Benevolent Association, Lieutenants Benevolent Association, Captains Endowment Association, and Detectives’ Endowment Association—seeks to stop the Mayor’s threat to order what will amount to a “data dump” on the internet beginning today, July 15, 2020, of “unsubstantiated, unfounded, exonerated, and pending disciplinary matters” that will, the lawsuit contends, “destroy the reputation and invade the privacy—and imperil the safety” of the City’s 60,000 public safety personnel and their families.
“This is not a challenge to the public right to know. This is not about transparency. We are defending privacy, integrity and the unsullied reputations of thousands of hard-working public safety employees,” said Hank Sheinkopf, spokesman for We Are All New York, a newly formed union coalition.
“Any worker,” he added, “who has ever been the subject of unfair or false complaints knows the personal and professional damage that can be caused.”
“In fact,” Sheinkopf continued, “this lawsuit defends the basic rights of individuals to privacy and equal protection, and the presumption of innocence unless proven otherwise after a lawful proceeding. An internet data dump—containing documents describing unproven unadjudicated allegations against innocent brave public safety employees, who dutifully go to work each day, and put themselves in harm’s way to protect New York City’s 8.5 million residents and 60 million visitors each year—is not fair by any measure. It would leave these essential public servants with fewer rights and protections than other city employees.”
“Furthermore,” the spokesman said, “uncontrolled release of such data in the internet age could endanger families of public safety personnel, creating opportunity for those seeking revenge. Use of unproven allegations at hearings and other proceedings can tarnish police officer testimony, undermining the courts, and prosecutors’ offices.”
“Discussing reforms, finding long-term solutions to public concerns must not,” Sheinkopf said, “include destruction of careers, lives and institutions through wholesale violations of employee rights to due process, equal protection and privacy.”
Contact:
Hank Sheinkopf
1-646-294-6571