City Council Bill On Mayor’s Desk Since Mid-December Would Restore Transparency Of NYPD Communications To Journalists, Others

City Council Bill On Mayor’s Desk Since Mid-December Would Restore Transparency Of NYPD Communications To Journalists, Others

This bill is similar to the State bill that was recently vetoed by the governor, who is heavily lobbied by (and has frequent meetings with) police associations.  The previous mayor did not sign or veto this bill, paving the way for Mayor Mamdani to allow this bill to become law.  Unlike the state bill, this law allows for certain communications, namely the police-wide dispatches from the central office, to be broadcast unencrypted for the general public.  This can help resolve some of the community trust issues that had developed toward the NYPD from certain areas in the city.  

To illustrate this, see the following quote from Comptroller Lander’s Office, in regards to a recent  report on excessive use of force claims during Mayor Adams’ tenure: “Our goal must be to prevent misconduct before it happens—rather than leaving communities to pay the price in harm, trauma, and costly settlements after the fact,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “The NYPD’s early intervention system is a good start, but this data shows it doesn’t go far enough to root out misconduct. Our recommendations call for a data-driven, management-forward approach that targets precincts where excessive force and claims are concentrated to reduce harm, save taxpayer dollars, and begin to rebuild trust and advance racial justice in communities most impacted.” 

As we have previously reported, the emergency services companies that can be considered private ambulances or ambulette services, on Staten Island itself, have not regularly had access to these police radio transmissions, as they haven’t been necessary to their communication as part of the larger EMS network. While this access would be desirable, its absence is not inconveniencing them directly.  This may or may not be the case for other emergency response companies or for those in other boroughs that may be very small operations.  However, for those media companies who found many stories worth reporting on using these radio frequencies to determine where a story might be happening, this has been a major loss.  This could include stories on vehicle crashes, protests, and robberies in progress that police would be routinely sent to investiage.  The release of these radio transmissions to trusted media outlets would also be a win for transparency for the general public.  If the police are being watched by outside groups, particularly those that are media, that gives them more trust.  

NYC City Council Int 1460-2025

This bill would require the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to establish and implement a radio encryption policy that ensures certain levels of media and public access to encrypted police radio communications. Under the bill, the Department would develop a policy that ensures that certain police radio communications, not including communications containing sensitive information, would be made available in real time to credentialed journalists. Additionally, the Department will be required to broadcast reports of critical incidents, over an unencrypted, citywide channel accessible in real-time to the general public.

 

Below is the relevant portion of the full text after the definitions

A professional journalist is defined in the Civil Rights Law, and is defined but not restated:

 

b. The department shall adopt a written radio encryption policy governing department radio communications. Such policy shall meet the following requirements:

(1) Reports of critical incidents shall be broadcast over an unencrypted, citywide channel accessible in real-time to the general public.

(2) Encrypted radio communications transmitted over all precinct-level, borough-level, transit, and housing bureau channels, and any other department channel that does not routinely transmit sensitive information, shall be available to professional journalists who have (i) received press credentials in accordance with section 3-119.4; and (ii) paid reasonable costs, not to exceed costs incurred by the department to provide such access.

(3) Sensitive information shall not be made available to the public or to professional journalists.

c. The department shall publish a proposal of the policy required by subdivision b of this section on the department’s website no more than 180 days after the effective date of the local law that added this section. Upon publication of the proposed policy, the public shall have 45 days to submit comments on such policy to the commissioner.

If this bill is not vetoed or signed by Thursday, it automatically goes into effect, according to the NY News Publishers’ Association.  

Banner Image: NYPD vehicle. Image Credit – Gianandrea Villa