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NYPD misconduct settlements have cost the city half a billion dollars in 6 years

New York Police Department (NYPD) misconduct lawsuits have cost the city more than $540 million the last six years, according to an analysis of government data released Thursday.

Since 2018, the lawsuits have totaled $548,047,141, including $114,586,723 for 2023 alone, according to The Legal Aid Society. The real total payouts for police misconduct is almost certainly higher, since the data does not include matters that were settled with the comptroller’s office before formal litigation, according to the organization.

With few exceptions, the number of disposed lawsuits each year has decreased but the median payout has continued to grow. In 2018, there were 1,579 settlements, for a median payout of $10,500. By 2023, there were 801 lawsuits settled, at a median payout of $25,000.

Jennvine Wong, a staff attorney with the Cop Accountability Project at The Legal Aid Society, said the total amount of funds from the payouts was “staggering” and said it reveals a system that fails to hold officers accountable.

Dagwood222 ,

Speaking as a native NYer.

A lot of voters remember the 1960s-1980s. Crime was rampant and street muggings were common. That was before we got rid of lead in gasoline. The 1980s were completely crazy, with Reagan era homeless camps all over, plus Reagan inspired Crack Wars. Add in Ethan Patz being kidnapped off the street and you had Fear City.

Another problem is that after 9/11 a lot of older cops who would normally have hung in for the thirty year pension quit and were replaced by rookies who saw themselves as anti-terror troops, no peace officers. Back in the day, the more experienced cops would teach the rookies to interact with the community; now the older cops are frustrated Punisher wannabes.

conditional_soup ,

It’s unfortunate that they forget the context of the 60s-80s. The government and Robert Moses bulldozed entire ass communities to build freeways through NYC, and then displaced those folks into the projects. There’s a lot more detail to it and other factors (like redlining) than that, but it should hardly come as a shock that destroying the wealth of entire communities really didn’t work out great a couple decades down the line.

Cosmonauticus ,

That was before we got rid of lead in gasoline.

Left out the part where white ppl left the cities to their racist as shit suburbs. Taking economic opportunities with them. Lead gas definitely had a negative effect but come on.

Back in the day, the more experienced cops would teach the rookies to interact with the community;

Right I guess Miles Davis getting his head cracked open in 59, shooting an unarmed 15 year old in 64, and them torturing Frank Lino in 62 was just community outreach

The NYPD have ALWAYS been corrupt punisher wannabes

corsicanguppy ,

Right I guess Miles Davis getting his head cracked open in 59, shooting an unarmed 15 year old in 64, and them torturing Frank Lino in 62 was just community outreach

You may not understand how statistics aren’t 100%. We can regret and hate what happened in those two cases and still it can be considered 99% good with the understanding that people died from totally preventable terrible hateful events that had no purpose.

It’s why the plural of anecdotes still isn’t data.

Cosmonauticus ,

No. The NYPD are clearly documented as a constant problem within the civil rights movement in post WW2 New York.

I’m more inclined to believe well documented examples of research into NYPD police brutality post WW2 than some random on Lemmy whos only sources are trust me bro.

TropicalDingdong ,

This should all come from police pensions and retirement funds.

That will end police misconduct practically overnight.

kandoh ,

They should need to carry malpractice insurance like doctors do. Let the insurance companies weed out the costly bullies.

TropicalDingdong ,

If you take it out of the general pension/ retirement funds, you’ll create a culture of self regulation, where the more senior, closer to retirement individuals, will absolutely not put up with some dumb ass rookie jeopardizing their money. You want to get change from people? Go after their money. I really only think you can solve police misconduct by changing the culture, so there has to be some kind of feedback mechanism that does this. This is the mechanism I’ve thought of. There has to be a kind of ‘collective punishment’ to change the culture.

kandoh ,

Too difficult to implement. What other professionals need to collectively pay fines and judgements from their retirement savings? What’s the precedent?

TropicalDingdong ,

Difficult to implement?

Easy as heck to implement. Union pensions are managed as a pool. When a union member commits a violation, it gets paid for out of the pool and the entire union suffers. The first time that a police officer violates civil rights, that officer will get crucified and it will never happen again.

In the current system, the community paying for the police foots the bill and there is no accountability. In the system I’m proposing the police are directly accountable for conduct, with more Sr. personal being more accountable (because they are more heavily vested in the pension).

This approach can even be used to promote furthering the development of unions. Its a win win win.

kandoh ,

They’d sue to stop it and you’d be forced to pay it all back.

corsicanguppy ,

You may underestimate the damage of a lawsuit. The first really great ‘exemplar’ lawsuit that comes through will absolutely bankrupt all retirees, good or bad, as that kind of fund is usually tightly managed and rarely enough. It’ll be crushed.

If you want to sic it to the bad cops but not the ones that actually did as good a job as possible, collective punishment is no good here. In fact, it’s still a war crime.

TropicalDingdong ,

Well the union will have to carry insurance (obviously). And that premium will be a function of the departments performance.

if a department can’t get insurance than it can’t operate.

Its really not as difficult as you make it out to be, but yes, it should be painful for an entire department when there is misconduct.

dumpsterlid ,

ACAB

corsicanguppy ,

Generalizations are neat.

Isn’t “all people are criminals” kinda what started this in the first place? Tell me how your unfair generalization is any more helpful than theirs.

And then maybe grow the fuck up.

GreyEyedGhost ,

There are three types of cops. Those who are abusing their power, those who say nothing when others abuse their power, and those who are so clueless they don’t notice the ones who abuse their power. Where are the good cops? Driven out of the force or killed, usually.

Also, it may come as a surprise to you, but people don’t choose to be people (and not all people choose to be crimo, whereas all cops have chosen to be cops, so your analogy is hopelessly flawed.

A_Random_Idiot ,

And its so much bullshit that taxpayers have to cover the bill to this unhinged subscription to violence and misconduct.

It should be the police unions and pension funds and retirement packages that are getting squeezed on these lawsuits.

ripcord ,
@ripcord@lemmy.world avatar

And yet you don’t really see the outrage from New Yorkers for some reason. Not really.

Nastybutler ,

No problem. Trump’s fine should just about cover that. Nothing to worry about, boys. Keep up the good work!

/s

Szymon ,

Jesus Christ, make cops require personal insurance for these payouts and watch the problem solve itself

AngryCommieKender ,

Also, remove the completely illegal Qualified Immunity Doctrine.

nytimes.com/…/qualified-immunity-supreme-court.ht…

foggy ,

Dddddefund.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Cheif Cop Adams doesn’t care.

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