A recent story about an Onondaga County sheriff’s deputy accused of repeated misconduct shows both the value and limitations of efforts to shine a light on police discipline that previously went unreported (“AG: Deputy’s 100-mph chases, other violations show pattern of misconduct. ‘I wasn’t letting him go’,” March 25, 2026).
A 2020 state law requires law enforcement agencies to report to the Attorney General if an officer accumulates five separate misconduct complaints in the space of two years. The AG is required to investigate to determine “whether the subject officer or employee has engaged in a pattern or practice of misconduct, excessive force or dishonesty.” Findings are published in a public database.
This allows everyone to know who is accused of breaking the rules and to see how (or if) department leaders are holding them accountable for their misconduct. However, the law can’t force those leaders to punish offending officers…