Abolishing the criminal group database and prohibiting the establishment of a successor database.

This bill would abolish the police department’s Criminal Group Database (Database) and prohibit the establishment of a successor database with the same or substantially similar features. Pending the ultimate destruction of records in the Database, no employee of the city would be permitted to access the Criminal Group Database for law enforcement purposes. The Inspector General for the Police Department would be required to notify persons named in the Database and provide additional information regarding how persons may submit requests for records contained in the Database, pursuant to the State Freedom of Information Law, prior to the destruction of such records. Violations would be enforced by the Inspector General for the Police Department and punishable by civil penalties. In addition, persons aggrieved by a violation would have a private right of action to seek damages and other relief.