New York Senate Bill S07138

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/1/25
• Refer: 4/1/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Prohibits the release of criminal history or any mental health history records by a coroner, coroner's physician or medical examiner of individuals who were the subject of the use of force by a police or peace officer.

Summary

S07138 would add a new section to the New York Executive Law to restrict what coroners, coroner’s physicians, and medical examiners may disclose when they conduct an inquiry, autopsy, or examination related to an incident in which a police officer or peace officer used force. The bill specifically bars public release or other dissemination of information about the affected individual’s criminal history or mental health history, including sharing that information with news or media organizations. The measure is narrowly focused on records arising from police-use-of-force incidents and applies to reports and related materials prepared in connection with those cases. It would take effect 30 days after becoming law and would create a confidentiality rule that overrides any contrary provision of law for the covered records.

Impact

The bill would amend the Executive Law by creating a new confidentiality provision for certain death-investigation records tied to police or peace officer use-of-force incidents. In practice, it would limit disclosure by coroners, coroner’s physicians, and medical examiners of criminal history and mental health history information about the person who was the subject of the force encounter, affecting how such records may be released to the public, press, or other third parties. The bill does not appear to change the underlying authority to conduct autopsies or investigations, but it would constrain dissemination of sensitive personal information in those reports.

Sentiment

No committee transcript or vote record is available, so there is no documented debate or recorded partisan split to assess. Based on the bill text and caption, the proposal appears to be framed as a privacy and dignity measure for individuals involved in police violence cases, with an emphasis on limiting potentially stigmatizing disclosures. The absence of recorded opposition or support in the provided materials means the overall sentiment cannot be measured beyond the bill’s protective intent.

Contention

The main point of contention likely concerns transparency versus privacy. Supporters would likely argue that criminal history and mental health history are often irrelevant or unfairly prejudicial when released in the aftermath of police use-of-force incidents, and that restricting disclosure protects victims and families from public stigmatization. Opponents, if any, would likely focus on public access to information, media reporting, and the ability to scrutinize official investigations into police conduct. The bill does not identify any specific stakeholders beyond coroners, medical examiners, law enforcement-related incidents, and the news media.