According to official records, 27 NYPD officers were terminated this past year for violations of the agency’s various policies and procedures. While not all of these terminations stem from civil rights violations in New York City, a sizeable number do. The data collected in 2019 and released just recently in a collated report states that those 27 cases represent just a tiny minority of all the cases against NYPD employees.
Indeed, the report shows that there were a whopping 339 cases in which officers faced “departmental charges” that could have potentially ended with their termination. Of those 339 cases, 322 involved an officer pleading guilty to the charges against them or the NYPD finding them guilty. So while 27 officers losing their jobs for actions unbecoming an NYPD badge-bearer, that means that 295 of those cases resulted in a “guilty” verdict yet the officer in question still remained on the force.
The report doesn’t go into detail about the individual cases so there is no way to glean the severity of these violations from this report. However, it’s shocking that out of over 300 cases (including potentially serious civil rights violations in New York City) that only 27 individuals were terminated.
Indeed, the data shows that while 26 officers faced excessive force charges and 18 were determined to be guilty of that charge, just 2 were terminated. Perhaps even more shocking, just 5 of the 18 police officers who were determined to be guilty of “unlawful or criminal conduct” were terminated from the force.
Statistics like this highlight why victims of civil rights violations in New York City must always speak up. Without continuous pressure, reform does not come easily. Without an aggressive response, victims often do not get the compensation or “justice” that they are entitled to.
If you’ve been the victim of excessive force, police brutality, wrongful arrest, or wrongful imprisonment, contact an experienced civil rights attorney in New York City today. Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel at 800-734-9338 or 212-385-1122 for your free confidential consultation.