Councilman Keith Powers has proposed legislation in New York City to address flaws in discovery laws that lead to unnecessary criminal case dismissals. The bill aims to establish a centralized database of evidence accessible to both prosecutors and defense attorneys, ensuring compliance with stricter deadlines set by 2019 criminal justice reforms. This initiative comes alongside recent changes in discovery law that encourage judges to consider prosecution efforts and ensure due diligence. With increased legislative support, the bill seeks to streamline prosecutorial processes by improving access to police evidence, enhancing public safety.
"This bill is a common-sense procedural reform that speeds up processes, allowing district attorneys to do their work and making it easier to comply with state discovery law."
"The new bill would task the police commissioner with giving prosecutors credentials to access NYPD's electronic evidence records."
"The deadlines in criminal cases have been criticized for leading to cases to be dismissed and criminals let out of jail."
"Powers told the Post that his legislation is meant to complement new changes made in discovery law that were included in the state's latest budget."
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