The last time the New York City Police Department (NYPD) was with all the spotlights on alleged actions of police brutality, it was for its actions during the “hurricane” of protests over the murder of African-American George Floyd. It was the year 2020.
Now, in the midst of light “winds” that are reaching the Big Apple, due to the violent arrest that caused the death of Tire Nichols, in Memphis, new data emerges that reveal that despite several reforms, the City continues to pay a high price financial for official “misconduct”.
At least, that’s the view of the New York Legal Aid Society, which this week released a data analysis revealing that the City paid out more than $121 million in “police misconduct” claims in 2022, the highest payment in at least five years. And almost $34 million more than in 2021.
A report notes that payouts for compensation and claims are likely “to be substantially higher” because this report does not include issues that were resolved directly by the New York City Comptroller’s office prior to litigation. formal.
Last year, the Civilian Complaints Review Board (CCRB), the oversight body that reviews police misconduct, recommended that 145 city police officers should be disciplined for violent conduct, during demonstrations after George’s murder. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died in Minneapolis after a white police officer pinned his neck to the ground in 2020.
During weeks of protest, police and protesters clashed across the city, resulting in injuries and hundreds of arrests.
The CCRB found evidence to support 267 allegations of misconduct against officers and recommended for 60% of them “the highest level of discipline.”
As legal experts specify, for the NYPD an agreement to pay financial compensation does not automatically mean that the officer should be accused of disciplinary charges.
In most cases, the troops are not required to cover any civil payments. And the “punishments” have not gone beyond observations in their files, suspensions of three days without the right to salary or loss of vacation days.
NYPD Reacts: Not True!
In a statement, NYPD reacted to the report submitted by Legal Aid by describing it as erroneous.
Nearly 60% of the total $121 million paid out in 2022 is attributable to seven wrongful conviction cases that settled for $68 million. Those seven cases can be traced back to events that occurred between 1965 and 2010.
“Of the lawsuits that were filed and resolved in 2022, the total payments amount to $16.8 million, of which $13 million are attributable to a 1965 wrongful conviction case,” the police spokesman clarifies.
The remaining 3.8 million represent less than 1.4% of the payments identified in this report, totaling $262 million. In addition, more than 96% of that amount is attributable to police actions that occurred under previous administrations.
A high profile case
The report released by the civil rights organization highlights that one of the most notable and high-profile cases last year was a $135,000 settlement involving officers Adonis Long and Shimul Saha.
Seized body camera footage released by Legal Aid showed officers beating and pepper spraying a homeless man in the face and dragging him from a subway car.
The attacker was a hairdresser, who had left a shelter for the homeless in Manhattan, with his belongings in some handbags.
According to the lawsuit, the officers made false statements to charge the man with felony assault. Both Long and Saha remain active in law enforcement.
A lawsuit is pending against Long for the incident described in this lawsuit, but former Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said the NYPD would not discipline him. Based on what Legal Aid reported, this officer had five prior civil complaints against him, a total of nine allegations, including an excessive force complaint issued eight months earlier.
The Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) also upheld the allegation and recommended disciplinary action. To date, no sanctions have been imposed.
“Rampant misconduct by the NYPD continues to cost New Yorkers tens of millions of dollars each year. We see entrenched resistance from Commissioner Keechant Sewell to accountability. Many of the officers involved in these lawsuits probably received a simple slap on the wrist,” said Maggie Hadley, of the Special Litigation Unit of the Criminal Defense Practice at Legal Aid.
There are less punishments
Based on information shared in early 2023 by the comptroller’s office to local media, New York City has doled out more than $1.1 billion for NYPD “misconduct” cases since 2015. More than any other NYPD agency. Town.
Although that does not imply that disciplinary punishments have risen.
In this sense, Andrew Case, a lawyer for Latino Justice PRLDEF, assures that during the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio, a disciplinary matrix was approved that established the appropriate punishments for police misconduct, including brutality.
“We note that Commissioner Sewell has reduced the punishment for officers found guilty of misconduct. Last month she said the punishments are too harsh. Punishing police officers who harass and assault New Yorkers is key to reducing brutality. And this administration has been backing down on the fight to hold cops accountable,” Case said.
At this crossroads, Latino Justice shows concern about the future, since million-dollar investments were recently announced to equip officers with more state-of-the-art technology.
“NYPD has a history of using technology to spy on people and maintain databases of those it wants to attack and harass. Currently, it maintains a list of ‘gangs’ in which more than 99% of the people are black or Latino. Despite the fact that white nationalist gangs are increasing in the Big Apple, ”he said.
The activist’s conclusion is that in order to reduce police violence, it is imperative to put limits on the intrusion of police officers into people’s lives.
The City: “We seek balance”
Regarding the accumulation of complaints for actions described as disproportionate during the protests over the death of George Floyd, the Uniformada has reported that more than 24 recommendations of reports on protest surveillance have been adopted, including the development of policies regarding tactics against mass arrests, looting and rallies that get out of control.
For his part, Mayor Eric Adams has responded to similar criticism in one direction: “We seek the balance between public safety and the demands for justice for police cruelty. We will not allow officers who break the law or behave in an abusive manner to remain on the force.”
“There are more facilities to make complaints”
A retired NYPD officer, who preferred to remain anonymous, assures El Diario that “like never before”, there is constant training in the institution, to avoid excesses and especially the provocations of some violent elements, who are “specialists in the lawsuit hunting” to get money.
“Obviously there is a history of racism and savagery, which we cannot hide. But today far from very particular situations, the philosophy of the police hierarchy is respect for human rights, above all things. The world has changed and so have the police”, highlighted the person who has spent the last 25 years in the institution.
The former officer who patrolled the Bronx for years regrets that in his opinion the “anti-police” discourse of some groups continues, while “never before” the poorest neighborhoods have demanded more patrols, more agents, more force, to fight the criminals.
“Today two years after that ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, if you go to the polls, New Yorkers want police to be given more power. They already proved what the opposite means. Regarding the high payments in lawsuits. There are ways to interpret it. Now there are more facilities for people to make complaints”, she concluded.