An administrative judge will decide soon whether a New York City police officer, Daniel Pantaleo, should be fired for using a prohibited chokehold that led to the death of Eric Garner and waves of protest over police brutality five years ago.

Whatever her decision, the public may never know about it.

That is because of the stunning reach of a state law that keeps the personnel and disciplinary files of the police, firefighters and corrections officers secret unless a judge orders them released. New York and Delaware are the only states that so explicitly bar the disclosure of such police records.

The law , S ection 50-a of the State Civil Rights Law , was passed in 1976 to make it harder for defense lawyers to use unsubstantiated accusations of abuse or misconduct to undermine the credibility of an officer testifying in a trial. But courts have held that the law also keeps secret substantiated accusations against public servants, even those that lead to discipline.

The law’s main sponsor in the State Senate, Frank Padavan of Queens, who died last year, said three years ago that it was never meant to prevent the disclosure of police misconduct. Yet that is exactly what it has done, blocking the release of crucial information about law enforcement officials who abuse the public trust.