Individuals accused of crimes deserve every chance they have to defend themselves, this includes having the right to know whether the officer testifying against them has been previously judged an unreliable witness.

In October 2018, defense attorney Andrew Stengel filed suit against Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance demanding public disclosure of the list of police officers who his office determined had credibility problems that made them unreliable witnesses in court.

Although The New York Times reported in July that DA Vance was battling the NYPD for better access to disciplinary records and investigative reports, he now hypocritically insists that this same information be hidden from defense attorneys and the public at large.

Defense attorneys deserve every opportunity to zealously defend their client. This includes their ability to impeach an unreliable witness.

Shielding evidence from defense lawyers doesn’t serve justice.

Instead, it creates an unequal playing field in the courtroom and gives prosecutors an unfair advantage.

Transparency is critical when there is a question of whether NYPD officers are being untruthful as witnesses in court while being funded by the taxpayers.

We New Yorkers ask DA Vance to reverse his policy of concealing records that show which NYPD officers have been determined to have credibility problems. #ReleaseTheList