The NYPD will make public when police officers are scheduled for internal disciplinary hearings and trials, the department said at a news conference at police headquarters on Tuesday.

Last month, an independent panel of former federal prosecutors and judges assembled by the NYPD said the force has a serious issue with transparency when it comes to disciplining officers. It recommended 13 changes so the process is not so secretive.

Top brass said they have implemented one of those changes. The NYPD will place on the city's website information about when officers go on trial within the NYPD for breaking police rules and guidelines. However, the website will not state what an officer is charged with.

First Deputy Commissioner Benjamin Tucker said the information will include, "The officer's name, the trial dates for the particular action, as well as the court room assignments."

Although a lot of information is not being made available, Police Commissioner James O'Neill said it is "an important step that provides the people that we serve with even more transparency."



"It is vital that we take as many steps toward that goal as possible while always balancing it with the privacy and safety of our officers," O'Neill said.