50 A is a searchable public records database that helps users research New York City Police Department officers, civilian misconduct complaints, disciplinary outcomes, civil lawsuits, settlement information, work assignments, and other publicly available NYPD data. The platform brings records from several sources together in one searchable location, making police accountability information easier to locate and compare.
The website takes its name from former Section 50-a of the New York Civil Rights Law. That law restricted public access to disciplinary records involving police officers, correction officers, firefighters, and certain other public employees. New York repealed Section 50-a in 2020 and amended the state public records law to permit greater access to law enforcement disciplinary records while requiring the redaction of protected personal information.
Visitors can search for an NYPD officer by name or badge number. Individual officer profiles may include the officer’s rank, badge number, tax identification number, current command, previous assignments, service history, reported compensation, Civilian Complaint Review Board complaint history, disciplinary findings, known lawsuits, and settlement amounts. The amount of information available varies by officer and depends on the public records connected to that individual.
Users can also browse officers by NYPD precinct, command, or specialized unit. This feature can help researchers examine patterns within a particular precinct, compare complaint histories across commands, or identify officers assigned to a specific neighborhood or operational division.
The website includes a facial image search tool that allows users to upload an image containing a single face and search for visually similar NYPD officer photographs. This may be useful when a person has a photograph or video image of an officer but cannot identify the officer through a visible name or badge number. Image search results should be treated as possible matches rather than confirmed identifications. Users should verify an officer’s identity through badge information, official records, photographs, video evidence, witness accounts, or other reliable documentation.
A major part of the database consists of complaint information obtained from the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board. The CCRB investigates allegations involving force, abuse of authority, discourtesy, and offensive language. Official CCRB records may include the nature of an allegation, the date and location of the incident, the complainant’s demographic information, the investigating agency’s conclusion, disciplinary recommendations, and the final action taken by the NYPD.
50 A also provides explanations of CCRB findings. These definitions are important because a complaint appearing in a public database does not automatically mean that misconduct was proven. A substantiated finding means the CCRB determined that sufficient credible evidence showed the officer committed the alleged act without legal justification. A finding of within NYPD guidelines means the conduct occurred but was determined to be lawful under department rules. An unfounded finding means evidence indicated that the officer did not commit the alleged act. An unable to determine or unsubstantiated finding means the available evidence was insufficient to reach a conclusion.
Some officer profiles contain information about civil rights lawsuits filed against individual officers or the City of New York. These records may include the case name, court, filing date, case number, allegations described in the complaint, outcome, and reported settlement amount. A lawsuit is an allegation made in a legal proceeding and is not, by itself, proof that the officer committed misconduct. A settlement may resolve a disputed claim without an admission of wrongdoing.
Researchers can use 50 A to identify possible connections among officers, complaints, precincts, commands, lawsuits, settlements, and recurring forms of alleged misconduct. Journalists may use it to develop background information before reviewing court dockets, disciplinary records, body camera footage, public payroll records, or official agency documents. Attorneys and legal advocates may use it to locate publicly reported officer histories that could be relevant to civil rights cases, criminal defense work, discovery requests, or police credibility research.
Community members can use the database to research officers involved in personal encounters, neighborhood incidents, arrests, demonstrations, traffic stops, or use of force complaints. The website also provides a direct link to information about filing a complaint with the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board.
The platform may also assist researchers examining systemic policing issues. Searchable officer and command information can help identify patterns involving repeat complaints, repeated civil lawsuits, high settlement totals, disciplinary outcomes, or concentrations of allegations within particular units. These patterns may support deeper investigations, but they should be confirmed through original records and analyzed in context.
50 A is an independent research platform. It is not an official website of the NYPD, the Civilian Complaint Review Board, the City of New York, or a court. The official CCRB database explains that its records do not include every form of alleged police misconduct. The CCRB database is limited to matters within its jurisdiction and excludes certain open, mediated, referred, unidentified, or older complaints.
Users should verify important findings through primary sources. These may include the official CCRB Member of Service Histories database, CCRB closing reports, NYPD disciplinary records, New York City payroll data, court dockets, judicial opinions, settlement records, public records responses, and documents filed by the parties in a lawsuit.
The website’s About page states that information is compiled from several sources and does not guarantee that every record is complete, current, or accurate. Names may be similar, assignments may change, lawsuits may contain disputed allegations, and government databases may later be corrected. Researchers should preserve copies of relevant pages and document the date on which the information was accessed.
50 A is especially valuable for people seeking a centralized starting point for New York City police accountability research. It reduces the need to search several separate databases before identifying potentially relevant officers, complaints, commands, lawsuits, and public records.
Services and Resources
50 A provides searches by officer name and badge number, NYPD precinct and unit browsing, officer employment histories, command assignments, compensation information, CCRB misconduct complaint records, disciplinary findings, lawsuit summaries, settlement information, complaint details, and officer image searches.
The platform also links users to official complaint filing resources and provides explanations of CCRB case outcomes and disciplinary terminology.
Who This Resource Helps
This resource may help journalists, civil rights attorneys, criminal defense attorneys, researchers, community organizers, public defenders, government watchdogs, police accountability advocates, historians, data analysts, and residents researching encounters with NYPD officers.
It may also assist people investigating police misconduct complaints, civil rights lawsuits, officer disciplinary histories, precinct patterns, government settlement costs, use of force allegations, and law enforcement transparency.
Important Use Note
The presence of a complaint or lawsuit does not establish that misconduct occurred. Users should carefully distinguish among allegations, substantiated findings, exonerated findings, unfounded findings, unresolved complaints, disciplinary decisions, settlements, and court judgments.
Important information should be confirmed through original government records, court filings, official databases, or direct responses to public records requests.