NYC Local Law 46: the first major city to mandate press access
On January 17, 2026, Local Law 46 took effect in New York City, making it the first major American city to require its police department to provide credentialed journalists access to encrypted radio communications. One day earlier, Governor Kathy Hochul had vetoed a statewide version of the same idea. The city acted anyway.
Key Facts at a Glance
What Local Law 46 requires
The law, introduced as Int. 1460-2025 by Manhattan City Council Member Gale Brewer, sets specific requirements for NYPD radio access:
Press access
NYPD must provide real-time radio access to credentialed journalists, excluding only communications containing genuinely sensitive tactical information.
Public critical incident channel
The department must broadcast reports of critical incidents over an unencrypted, citywide channel accessible to the general public in real-time.
Policy development
NYPD has 180 days to publish a detailed proposal for implementing press access, with 45 days of public comment.
Implementation timeline
Full implementation of press access required within one year of the law's enactment.
How it happened
Local Law 46 came out of years of advocacy after the NYPD's 2023 encryption rollout, which cost $390 million and ended nearly a century of public scanner access.
NYPD begins encrypting radio communications, starting with Brooklyn precincts
14 media organizations form the New York Media Consortium to fight for access
City Council Member Gale Brewer introduces Int. 1460-2025
Public Safety Committee approves bill 9-0; full Council passes 41-7
Governor Hochul vetoes statewide press access legislation
NYC Local Law 46 takes effect—Mayor lets it become law without signature
The media coalition
The New York Media Consortium united 14 press organizations behind a single ask. Collective pressure from a named coalition carried more weight than individual outlets lobbying separately.
Coalition members included:
- New York News Guild and its locals
- New York Press Photographers Association
- Society of Professional Journalists (Deadline Club, NYC chapter)
- Major news outlets and journalism organizations
A unified message—that press access serves the public, not just newsrooms—undercut the NYPD's attempt to frame the issue as a narrow professional dispute.
Why NYC succeeded where Albany failed
Hochul's veto landed one day before Local Law 46 took effect. The juxtaposition clarifies something useful about where these fights can be won.
State bill (vetoed)
- Needed a single executive's signature
- Faced statewide police union opposition
- Less direct constituent pressure on the governor
- Governor could decline without facing local consequences
NYC Local Law 46 (passed)
- Became law without the mayor's signature
- Council members answer directly to city constituents
- The media coalition concentrated resources at the local level
- New York's press corps has direct relationships with city officials
The takeaway: go local
When state government won't move, cities can act on their own. NYC did. Other cities whose state legislatures or governors are blocking transparency measures can take the same route.
NYPD's opposition—and why it failed
NYPD leadership raised the usual objections: officer safety, criminal exploitation of open radio. None of them held up.
NYPD claimed: "Bad guys use scanners"
For 92 years (1932-2023), NYPD radios were public with no documented cases of scanner-related officer harm. The "bad guy with a scanner" scenario remained theoretical throughout that entire period.
NYPD claimed: "Full encryption is necessary"
The law doesn't require unencryption—it requires access for credentialed journalists. NYPD can maintain encryption while providing press access through other means.
NYPD claimed: "No good way to verify journalists"
The NYPD already issues press credentials. The infrastructure for verifying journalists exists and has worked for decades at crime scenes and press events.
What encryption was doing on the ground
The NYPD's 2023 encryption rollout caused documented problems before Local Law 46 addressed them:
EMS coordination failures
Volunteer EMS workers lost critical location information under encryption. EMT Josiah Williams described searching for officers at a stabbing scene because encryption blocked radio coordination between agencies.
Critical incident channel restores access
The law's unencrypted critical incident channel will ensure emergency responders and the public can receive real-time information about major events.
Journalism hampered without scanner access
Reporters couldn't independently verify police accounts of incidents, forcing reliance on official statements that sometimes proved inaccurate.
Independent verification restored for credentialed press
Credentialed journalists will again be able to verify police activity, arrive at scenes independently, and hold the department accountable.
What other cities can take from this
The elements that made Local Law 46 possible are replicable. None of them required New York-specific circumstances.
Build a coalition
The New York Media Consortium brought 14 organizations together. A named coalition is harder for officials to dismiss than individual outlets making the same ask separately.
Find champions inside government
Council Member Gale Brewer sponsored the bill; Speaker Adrienne Adams backed it. Identifying and cultivating those relationships early is not optional.
Work city hall, not the statehouse
State legislatures move slowly and face heavier police union lobbying. City council members are closer to their constituents and can act faster.
Write specific legislation
The bill named implementation timelines, public comment periods, and specific access requirements. Specificity closes off the objections that kill vague proposals.
Document the harms
The EMS coordination failures were concrete. Real incidents—not abstract arguments—are what persuade council members who are on the fence.
Keep going after a veto
The state vetoed an identical bill the day before Local Law 46 took effect. The city had already found another path. A setback at one level doesn't end the fight.
What happens next
Local Law 46 sets specific compliance deadlines for the NYPD:
NYPD must publish implementation proposal (180 days from enactment)
Public comment period closes (45 days after proposal)
Full implementation required (one year from enactment)
The passage of the law was step one. Advocacy groups are tracking the implementation deadlines and will push back if the NYPD treats them as suggestions.
Apply NYC's approach in your city
The text of Int. 1460-2025 can be adapted for other cities. The path NYC took was not unique to New York.
Study the law's language
Review Int. 1460-2025 and adapt its provisions to your city's legal framework. The access requirements, timelines, and comment periods are all replicable.
Build your coalition
Bring together local outlets, journalism schools, press clubs, and civil liberties groups. A unified ask beats a dozen uncoordinated ones.
Find your council champion
Gale Brewer sponsored the bill in NYC. Identify council members in your city who care about transparency and start building relationships before you need them.
Collect local examples
Document specific incidents where encryption blocked journalism or public safety coordination. Abstract arguments matter less than concrete cases.
Point to the NYC precedent
The argument that it can't be done in a major city no longer holds. Elected officials in other cities can be held to the same standard.
Act before the transition
Encryption is still spreading. The window to pass protective legislation is before a department goes fully dark, not after.
Sources
- amNY: City Council approves bill guaranteeing press access to NYPD encrypted radio feed
- NY Broadcasters: NYC Police Encryption Legislation Becomes Law
- People's World: N.Y. Gov. Hochul vetoes bill giving journalists police radio access
- NYC Council: Statement on NYPD's Implementation of Radio Encryption
Build on this win
NYC proved it's possible. These resources will help you make the same case in your city.
Take Action for Transparency
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