In the first half of #2023, the #NewYorkCity #Police Department (NYPD) faced scrutiny as the city paid over $50 million in settlements for misconduct cases involving its officers. This amount is expected to surpass $100 million by year-end, reflecting a concerning trend. Notably, the $100 million figure excludes settlements reached before litigation, which totaled $30 million in the first nine months of the year.
Pre-litigation settlements from July 2022 to September 2023 added an additional $50 million, bringing the total payouts related to police misconduct, including post-litigation settlements, to around $280 million since July 2022.
Jennvine Wong, a staff attorney with the Cop Accountability Project at the Legal Aid Society, expressed concern about the high amount even before cases reach civil court, suggesting that such payouts obscure instances of police misconduct.
"It says something that it's just such a high amount even before people get to file in civil court," said Jennvine Wong, staff attorney with the Cop Accountability Project at the Legal Aid Society, which provides public defense in New York City." And all it does is it helps obscure police misconduct."
The #NYPD, in response to questions, highlighted a comptroller report indicating an 11 percent decrease in claims from 2021 to 2022 and a 52 percent drop in claims against the NYPD since 2013. However, despite a decline in the number of tort claims filed, there was a 14 percent increase in payouts from $208.1 million to $237.2 million from 2021 to 2022.
Earlier reports revealed shortcomings in the NYPD's transparency efforts, with a dedicated website omitting officers accused of misconduct and promotions given to officers involved in multiple lawsuits instead of public scrutiny. The situation raises concerns about accountability and transparency within the NYPD, as substantial settlements continue to be paid in cases of alleged police misconduct.
The alarming trend of skyrocketing payouts for police misconduct cases in New York City, even before they reach civil court, serves as a glaring indictment of the deeply entrenched issues within our current policing system. #abolitionnow
Link: The Intercept
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