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Q&A
Police misconduct lawsuits and CCRB complaints
3:41:32
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166 sec
Council Member Restler expresses concern about the significant increase in police misconduct lawsuits and CCRB complaints. He inquires about strategies to address this trend and its impact on police-community relations.
- Police misconduct lawsuit payouts nearly doubled from $114 million in 2023 to $205 million in 2024.
- CCRB reported a 62% increase in police misconduct complaints over the last two years, largely driven by excessive force complaints.
- The Law Department regularly meets with the police department to discuss trends and specific cases, and the NYPD is implementing training to ensure compliance with applicable laws.
Lincoln Restler
3:41:32
I wanted to ask about PD payouts in particular.
3:41:35
An analysis by legal aid found that the city paid $205,000,000 in police misconduct lawsuits in 2024.
3:41:43
It's almost double the hundred and 14,000,000 we paid in in 2023.
3:41:47
And since 2018, these lawsuits have cost the city 3 quarters of a billion dollars.
3:41:53
I will tell you of I think the most shocking testimony I've received in the last two weeks of budget hearings was from the CCRB.
3:42:04
The CCRB has a 62% increase in police misconduct complaints over the last two years, largely driven by excessive force complaints by the NYPD.
3:42:12
They have seen such a dramatic reduction in their staffing that for twenty three point five percent of cases, they don't investigate at all.
3:42:19
They just close them out automatically if there's search issues, you know, illegal seizure of properties, discourtesy, etc.
3:42:25
So we're seeing this major increase in PD payouts and we're seeing a major increase in complaints against the CCRB, complaints to the CCRB for police misconduct.
3:42:36
I recognize you don't control the police department, but what can we do to stem the increase in these cases?
3:42:45
Are you flagging these issues for commissioner Tisch, for city hall, to note that we've clearly got a trend that's moving in the wrong direction?
Muriel Goode-Trufant
3:42:54
We meet regularly with the police department.
3:42:58
They're one of our clients and we discuss both trends as well as particular cases.
Lincoln Restler
3:43:05
Do you think that there are any strategies being developed to reduce these payouts?
Muriel Goode-Trufant
3:43:10
Well, I would say that there certainly is training that is occurring throughout the police department in order to make certain that activity is compliant with applicable law.
Lincoln Restler
3:43:24
Okay.
3:43:25
I mean I'm very pleased about Commissioner Tisch's appointment.
3:43:31
I think that we're seeing a degree of accountability and integrity and competence return to the leadership in one PP that had been lacking.
3:43:41
That being said, I'm just very concerned about the long term impacts this has on police community relations when we're seeing such a large spike in complaints against police officers for excessive force.
3:43:55
And it's manifesting itself in terms of increased payouts that we're having to to fork over every year.
3:44:03
And people deserve them.
3:44:04
I'm not even angry at it.
3:44:07
But they shouldn't be happening in the first place.
3:44:09
And so I appreciate that it's on your radar that you're having these conversations.
3:44:12
I hope that that with her new leadership that she really makes an effort to rein this in and we start to see things move in a different direction.