Thousands Of Documents On Brooklyn Police Misconduct Released: DA

BROOKLYN, NY — A trove of documents detailing misconduct allegations against Brooklyn police officers has been released by the Brooklyn District Attorney, creating a searchable database of complaints against the borough's police force.

The more than 10,000 documents, released Monday by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, follow a Freedom of Information Law request by WNYC/Gothamist, who revealed in 2019 that DAs in all five boroughs keep lists of potentially untrustworthy NYPD officers.

The new documents include letters that the District Attorney's Office prepares for defendants and their defense attorneys about specific officers called to take the stand and what prior acts or concerns might call their credibility into question. All letters prepared between January 2020 and March 2021 were released, according to Gonzalez.

“This unprecedented release of disclosure letters should not be viewed as an attack on police officers, who are dedicated to keeping us all safe and work together with my Office in partnership every day," Gonzalez said. "Its goal is to enhance transparency and strengthen trust in the criminal justice system, which relies on police witnesses to make criminal cases and requires the utmost integrity and credibility. These disclosures are required under the law, are being provided to defendants in court and should be part of the public record.”

About two-thirds of the letters include at least one disclosure, whether it be a prior NYPD discipline or internal affairs investigation, a Brooklyn DA's Office finding, a record with the Civilian Complaint Review Board, a lawsuit against the officer or a judge's assessment of the cop's credibility.

The disclosures include many against some of the borough's most high-ranking officers, including nine of the 23 precinct commanders, according to the database.

Some precinct commanders have as many as 10 disclosures included on their letters, the documents show. Both commanders from Bed-Stuy's precincts — the 79th and 81st precinct — have eight allegations listed on the letters, according to the documents.

Gonzalez notes that a disclosure does not mean the police officer is not credible or should not be testifying, but only that "the information can potentially be used as impeachment material and is thus constitutionally required to be disclosed."

The document dump comes after the state expanded requirements for pre-trial disclosures to the defense and after last year's repeal of 50-a, a decades-old law that kept police disciplinary records under wraps.

The release includes some redactions, including information related to now-sealed cases, family court, unsubstantiated claims or pending disciplinary investigations, Gonzalez said.

You can search the database by an officer's last name here.