Secret: Thousands of Complaints Against NYC Police Revealed

The city has kept this data secret for decades. Now everyone can get acquainted with them personally. Records indicate that there is at least one charge against some 4000 officers out of 36 NYPD officers. The details are shared by the publication ProPublica.

Until last month, New York State prohibited the release of records of police officers with disciplinary issues. Civilian complaints of abuse by officers were kept secret, as were the findings of investigators. The public could not even find out if the officer had been punished.

In 2014, choke hold by police officers in New York resulted in the death of Eric Garner. The last words of the man - “I can't breathe” - became the rally cry for the Black Lives Matter movement. There were records of misconduct regarding the cop who killed Garner.

The city investigator, who revealed the officer's conviction, was forced to resign in 2017, and the officer himself was fired only in 2019.

When George Floyd's death sparked protests across America, activists in New York resumed their efforts to repeal Ordinance 50-A, which did not allow publicity of police complaints. In the end, state legislators voted to repeal a provision that had been in place for decades.

Shortly thereafter, ProPublica reporters approached the New York Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) to provide a list of officials along with complaints against them, as well as information on what disciplinary action was recommended, if any. a place.

The CCRB provided this information, which made it clear "an unprecedented picture of civilian complaints of abuse by New York police officers." The limits of the current system of holding officers accountable have also become clear. Below is a database that allows you to search for police complaints, so you can personally look at this information.

В database lists the cops against whom the CCRB has substantiated at least one charge: these are about 4000 officers from 36 thousand New York police officers. You can find information about a particular police officer by entering his name or badge number.

Unions of city police, firefighters and corrections officers have sued New York to stop disclosing most of these and other disciplinary records. Unions objected to the release of any cases other than "proven and definitive disciplinary issues." This would rule out the vast majority of employee complaints. “We are protecting the privacy, integrity and impeccable reputation of thousands of hardworking public safety workers,” a union spokesman said when filing the lawsuit.

On Wednesday, July 22, a federal judge issued a temporary injunction barring the city, including the CCRB, from disclosing disciplinary records. Judge Katherine Polk Failla also banned the New York Civil Liberties Union from disclosing the findings.

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The data presented in this publication relate only to those officers who had at least one well-founded accusation. And every complaint in the database has been fully investigated by the CCRB. This means that, among other steps, one of the civilians provided sworn statements to the investigators. Also excluded are any allegations that the investigators' conclusions were unfounded; this means that the investigators found that the incident did not happen as the plaintiff claimed. The submitted data indicated about 3200 unfounded allegations, that is, about 9% of the total.

The source chose to include in them key information disclosed by the CCRB in relation to allegations that the investigators found unfounded. The unsubstantiated information means that the CCRB, with limited investigative powers, was unable to confirm that the alleged incident occurred and that it violated NYPD rules. However, these recordings can help readers become familiar with the records of the officers against whom complaints have been filed.

“We understand the arguments against disclosing this data. But we believe the public good it can bring outweighs the potential harm, ”said Stephen Engelberg, editor-in-chief of ProPublica. "The database provides New Yorkers with an understanding of how allegations of police misconduct were handled, and allows journalists and ordinary citizens to gain a deeper understanding of the records of specific officers."

The CCRB receives thousands of complaints every year, but it can only substantiate a small fraction of them. In 2018, the agency reviewed about 3000 applications for the use of force, while justifying only 73.

Investigators are often unable to draw conclusions from cases, in large part because they must rely on data from the NYPD. We are talking about such evidence as video recordings from body cameras of law enforcement officers. Often the department does not do this, despite the legal obligation to cooperate with the CCRB investigating authorities.

In other cases, investigators concluded that what the civilian claimed did take place, but the behavior was permitted by NYPD rules. Police Department guidelines often give its officers considerable leeway, especially with regard to the use of force. In police jargon, these cases are classified as “exempt from liability”.

“I have acquitted tons of gruesome behavior cases that fall under the directives,” said former CCRB investigator Dan Bodah, currently investigating police oversight at the Vera Institute of Justice. "Law and politics give cops a lot of leeway."

Despite all the restrictions, some officers still have numerous charges against them that have been substantiated. According to the records, 303 officers still serving with the NYPD have five or more valid charges against them. The available data only briefly describe the alleged abuse, usually just a few words.

To summarize, today there are almost 5000 charges of the use of physical force, almost 2000 charges of a search and more than 600 charges of aiming a pistol. 34 or more charges were filed against 40 officials.

Readers can use the information in the database to find the data they are interested in, the CCRB has more details. True, the latter is currently prohibited from disclosing data due to the order of Catherine Polk Fail. However, users can view the records and see potential patterns of abuse.