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Scarborough pushes to purge arrest records

By Bryan Schwartzman

Assemblyman William Scarborough (D-St. Albans) is pushing a bill in the state Assembly that would eliminate all arrest records involving people never formally charged with a crime.

The southeast Queens official first introduced the bill in January, but he said passage has become urgent following the recent shooting of Patrick Dorismond, 26, an unarmed black security guard killed in a scuffle with police officers outside a Manhattan nightclub.

Scarborough said such incidents are a particular problem for minority youth living in neighborhoods where relations between the community and police can be strained.