NYPD officers line up in the streets of Manhattan as a peaceful protest turns violent on May 30, 2020. Photo: Ryland West/ALM

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he would support reform to a state law used to shield police disciplinary records from the public.

The governor's comments this weekend come in the backdrop of a nation gripped with protests over the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. Some of the demonstrations have resulted in violent confrontations between police and protesters.

The state law, known as 50-a for its spot in New York's Civil Rights Law, is used to keep secret the disciplinary records of police officers.

"I would sign a bill today that reforms 50-a. I would sign it today," Cuomo said Saturday. 

"Pass the bill. I will sign it today. I can't be clearer or more direct than that," he added.

Advocates have called for the repeal of the law, saying it prevents police accountability and halts the release of basic information, such as the disciplinary history of an officer.

The law's protections also extend to correction officers and firefighters.

Specifically, the law says "all personnel records used to evaluate performance toward continued employment or promotion" should be considered "confidential and not subject to inspection or review," without written consent.

The third-term governor said he believes local elected officials have the authority to release disciplinary records under the law, but they do not want to share the information.

Cuomo sharpened his tone on criminal justice reform Sunday by calling for a standard definition of "excessive force" nationwide, and said local prosecutors should not be allowed to investigate allegations of police abuse.

"Allegations must be investigated by an independent outside agency," he said at a press conference in Albany.

Floyd, a black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck. The incident was caught on video, which has since gone viral.

Floyd's death has revived national attention over the killing of black men by police, including the 2014 choke-hold death of Eric Garner.

Garner's mother, Gwen Carr, has been a vocal supporter of repealing 50-a.

The Legal Aid Society issued a statement on Saturday saying everyone should be disturbed by recent videos showing police "violently assaulting New Yorkers" and using pepper spray.

"This egregious misconduct underscores the need for New York state to swiftly repeal Police Secrecy Law 50-a, which keeps the public in the dark about officer misconduct and the NYPD's broken disciplinary system," according to the statement.

With the law in place, the group said the public will likely never find out what happens to the officers who were pepper spraying peaceful demonstrators.

"Now, more than ever, with police violence raging unchecked in cities across the country, New York must live up to its progressive ideals by ending police secrecy," the statement read.