Among the complaints, it was found that officers used batons and pepper spray on peaceful protesters in 140 cases. Dozens of allegations of abuse of authority, including officers refusing to identify themselves, concealing their badges and making false or misleading statements, were also substantiated, according to the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) report.
More than 600, or 43%, of the misconduct allegations were shelved after the officers could not be identified, a significant hurdle in the board’s review, the report said.
“This report shows why the NYPD cannot continue to have a monopoly on discipline,” Molly Biklen, deputy legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement. “When New Yorkers took to the streets demanding racial justice in 2020, the NYPD responded with violence.”
Thousands of demonstrators have flooded the streets of New York City for weeks to protest police brutality, days after Floyd, a black man accused of passing a counterfeit $20 bill, died when a white police officer in Minneapolis tackled his neck to the ground with one knee for several minutes in May 2020. Smaller-scale protests continued into the early fall.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) disagreed with many of the report’s findings, saying less than 15% of all allegations were substantiated. In a statement, he accused the council of exaggerating the extent of any misconduct, saying it involved less than 1% of the 22,000 officers deployed during the protests.
The less than 15% substantiation rate for the allegations against the officers confirms “that the NYPD’s response to the summer 2020 protests was largely professional, commendable, and responsive to the unique circumstances present at that time,” Carrie said. Talansky, acting deputy commissioner of the NYPD, in a statement.
Hundreds of officers were injured and the department had already implemented many of the board’s 17 recommended policy changes, the NYPD said.
“Protests against police brutality have spawned further instances of police misconduct,” CCRB Acting President Arva Rice said in the report. “If this misbehavior is not addressed, it will never be reformed.”
Of the 146 officers named in the report, 89 of them are expected to face internal charges, which may result in dismissal. The board has recommended disciplinary action, which may include the loss of vacation days, for the other 57 officers.
The council, made up of 15 members appointed by the mayor, city council and police commissioner, has the power to conduct administrative proceedings, but the commissioner has the final say on any disciplinary action.
