An investigative report by the non-profit ProPublica has uncovered yet another potential scandal for the NYPD. The independent news agency claims that multiple false arrests in New York City stem from a systemic abuse of power by individual officers—some of whom conducted such activities solely to pad their paychecks with overtime.
The report focused on a set of “stings” starting as far back as 2014 touted by the mayor’s office as an attempt to clean up NYC. New details (including witness testimony and statements made by current and former NYPD employees) show that at least some of the arrests and detentions were based on questionable evidence at best. For example, one young man of color claims to have been detained with other men of color for simply pulling over to offer assistance to two women who flagged him down as he was driving by. Another man said that he was arrested for walking alongside a woman after she had asked him to escort her down the block.
Data collected by ProPublica shows that a majority of the nearly 5,000 individuals targeted, both the alleged sex workers and their alleged patrons, were non-white.
Eighteen of the police officers involved stated that they were “incentivized” to round up as many potential perpetrators as possible by the financial boost to their paychecks (mostly in the form of overtime). From other interviews conducted with 36 NYPD employees, money played at least some part in the increased number of arrests during this crackdown.
Since 2014, NYC has paid over 1 million dollars to at least 20 individuals in response to claims of false arrests in New York City tied to alleged sex crimes alone.
Proving false arrest is one thing. Getting compensation for a false arrest is another. When it comes to proving your case and getting the compensation you deserve, you need an experienced false arrest attorney in New York City on your side.
Contact the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel for a free consultation. Call 800-734-9338 or 212-385-1122 to speak with a legal professional today.