The New York Daily News reports ""Cuomo signs historic 50-a repeal bill after decades of N.Y. police secrecy."

The June 12 article continues:

"The new law, effective immediately, makes disciplinary records subject to Freedom of Information Law requests from journalists and the public, shining a light on the well-guarded files after decades of secrecy."

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-cuomo-police-reform-discip…

But Long Island's Newsday cautions "Repeal is done, but access to police records will take longer."

Observers predict that "it's more likely to take months or maybe a year or more before the public gets a peek."

Requesters must obtain the records through New York's Freedom of Information law, and experienced observers recognize that "successfully obtaining information through FOIL can take a long time — and sometimes require a court fight."

John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany, a watchdog group that champions open records "expect[s] we'll see a trickle of police records in four months, more records in six months and a substantial number in a year."

But these observers emphasize the importance of the repeal of a Section 50-a.

"Before, it was virtually impossible to get these records," Blair Horner, of the New York Public Interest Research Group notes. "Now it's possible — but these records are not going to be showering out of the sky."