THE NYS AND NYC “RIGHT TO RECORD ACTS,” WHICH GIVE CITIZENS THE RIGHT TO RECORD POLICE ACTIVITIES, DO NOT ALLOW RECORDING IN PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE POLICE-STATION LOBBIES (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, answering a certified question from the Second Circuit, determined that the NYS and NYC Right to Record Acts (RTRA’s), which allow citizens to record police activities, do not allow recording inside police stations:

We … do not opine as to the full scope of the RTRAs’ application or any other places where the RTRAs may apply. We reformulate the question as follows:

“Does either N.Y. Civil Rights Law § 79-p or Administrative Code of the City of New York §§ 14-189 afford individuals such as plaintiff Reyes the right to video record law enforcement activities inside the publicly accessible lobbies of police stationhouses?”

We answer that question in the negative. Reyes v City of New York, 2026 NY Slip Op 03914, CtApp 6-23-26