Long Island cops claim CVS delayed release of surveillance camera footage after a beloved worker was stabbed to death on Christmas Day — and a local lawmaker wants to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
The Edeedson ‘Joshy’ Cine Transparency Act — named for the 23-year-old Long Island CVS worker killed during a botched robbery — would demand that businesses release security video to police without a search warrant or subpoena, state Assemblyman Kwani O’Pharrow, the bill’s sponsor, told The Post.
“We found that there were some issues and some discrepancies when it came to law enforcement accessing the video from the actual crime scene,” O’Pharrow said. “It took them at least 18 hours just to get the video, which hindered the investigation.”
The corporate retail chain came under fire after Suffolk County cops claimed officials at the store’s Lindenhurst location stalled the murder investigation for a full day, delaying the arrest of accused killer John Pillaccio, who is now charged with murder, until the following day.
“The person who committed this heinous crime could have been halfway to Russia, or they could have committed another crime,” O’Pharrow told The Post.
The state lawmaker proposed the bill just two days before Cine’s funeral services. The legislation is now being reviewed in committee, where it may see some tweaks, he said.
Under current state law, private businesses are not required to turn over surveillance footage without a warrant or a subpoena, with no set deadline or penalties for any delays or refusals by the company.
O’Pharrow’s bill does not currently include a time frame for business owners to turn over video or other evidence, but does call for $100,000 fines for each violation and possible civil repercussions.
O’Pharrow said the additional details will be worked out during debate on the bill.
The proposal does already lay out possible exemptions and a 24-hour time frame for cooperation — with businesses allowed to have attorneys review the video before it’s released, and would take into account privacy and competitive business claims.
Cine was working the holiday so that a coworker could spend Christmas with their family, when his down-on-his-luck accused killer, who said he was $25,000 in debt, demanded money at knifepoint and repeatedly stabbed the young CVS worker for refusing.
Suffolk County’s top cop Kevin Catalina blasted CVS, accusing the store of “hampering our ability to make an arrest,” he told reporters in December.
Cine’s family could not be reached for comment regarding the legislation as the funeral services were ongoing. However, O’Pharrow told The Post that he spoke with Cine’s parents and siblings and they are supportive of the bill.
Meanwhile, a CVS rep defended the store’s handling of the video footage in an email to The Post.
The spokesperson said last week that the store allowed police to video footage on the day of the murder and provided it the following morning.
“Our teams worked through the night to pull and package more than 24 hours of video in the specific manner they asked for,” the rep said.
