Q&A
Discussion on objective criteria for officers in illegal eviction cases
0:43:34
·
132 sec
Council Member Sandy Nurse inquires about the existence of objective criteria or checklists for officers to use when determining illegal evictions. Josh Levin from NYPD explains the department's approach to training and decision-making in these situations.
- NYPD does not have a strict checklist but relies on officer training and available resources
- Discussion of the potential benefits and drawbacks of having a fixed list of criteria
- Emphasis on the importance of considering a wide range of factors in each unique situation
Sandy Nurse
0:43:34
Do you all have, like, a list of criteria that officers are trained on?
0:43:40
Like, a checklist of making those determinations so that it's a little less subjective.
0:43:45
Like, for example, if I've been to some, lockouts where a tenant is is having, like, a a a real crisis response.
0:43:56
Right?
0:43:56
They're in panic, they're upset, they're angry, they're cursing, like, not a person in the most likable time of their life.
0:44:02
Like, they're having a very visceral reaction, and so maybe the officer is now annoyed with them or not feeling, you know, just like a way about how someone is responding to a situation.
0:44:14
Is there an objective criteria that officers could use, to kind of punch through a list and say, okay.
0:44:21
We've made a determination here.
Josh Levin
0:44:23
So number 1, let me be the first to say that an officer being annoyed or frustrated should never play any role whatsoever.
0:44:30
Just gotta say that.
0:44:31
Right?
0:44:32
I I know how you feel.
0:44:33
Right?
Sandy Nurse
0:44:33
I will let you put that on the record.
Josh Levin
0:44:35
Thank you.
Sandy Nurse
0:44:35
It should.
0:44:36
You're you're right.
0:44:37
Yes.
Josh Levin
0:44:38
Now having said that, what I can say is that there are trainings that have been done with with HPD.
0:44:44
We have legal bureau bulletins that list what the law is and what the process and what the steps are.
0:44:50
We have a patrol guide.
0:44:51
But I am currently unaware of any type of document that would list out any every single piece of evidence that ever would apply, and that's, I think, also a testament to the fact that we have field training units.
0:45:02
We have sergeants.
0:45:03
We have supervisors.
0:45:07
Thank you, Matt.
0:45:08
We take criminal calls.
0:45:10
We have attorneys 24 hours a day available for an officer to call and say, I think this is this.
0:45:17
Can you help walk me through this?
0:45:19
I've taken those calls myself.
Sandy Nurse
0:45:20
But you don't have so no.
0:45:21
You don't have an objective list.
0:45:23
But you have a a person that can be called.
Josh Levin
0:45:26
Yeah.
0:45:27
I'm scared of an objective list because then if there's something officers people might think this is the only things that could be used, which we wanna enable people to have a wider aperture when they're going into this.
0:45:38
And so we make resources available so officers know who to call and who to speak to if they're unsure of what the answer is.
0:45:44
But, no, there's no, that I'm aware of.
