Complaints Against NYPD Cops Rise For 1st Time In Years: Report

NEW YORK, NY — The number of misconduct complaints against NYPD cops increased in 2017 for the first time in eight years even as investigators substaintiated fewer of them, a new report says. New Yorkers filed 4,487 complaints with the Civilian Complaint Review Board last year, up 5 percent from the prior year, according to the board's annual report published Thursday.

That's the first increase since 2009 following seven straight years of declines, the report shows. The majority of last year's closed complaints — 58 percent — accused cops of abuse of authority, such as illegal searches or threating to arrest someone, the report said.

The exact reason for the spike is uncertain, but the board suggested its increased outreach efforts likely played a role. The CCRB staff held more informational meetings in both 2016 and 2017 than in the previous three years combined, the board said.

"Greater awareness and understanding of the CCRB among the public better enables the Agency to investigate misconduct, identify trends, and ultimately, increase accountability and improve police-community relations," Jonathan Darche, the board's executive director, said in a statement.

The board's investigations substaintiated 20 percent of last year's complaints, down from 23 percent in 2016, the report says. Complaints are substantiated when the board finds the cop's alleged acts actually happened and were improper.

For just over half the cops who faced substantiated allegations, the board recommended their commanding officer impose discipline ranging from guidance to forfeiting 10 vacation days, the report says. Charges leading to disciplinary trials were recommended in just 11 percent of all cases.

Video has been a big help to the CCRB's investigations, the report says, and will likely play a bigger role as the NYPD rolls out body cameras to every patrol cop this year. Complaints that came with video evidence were more than twice as likely to be substantiated as those that lacked it, the report says.

"Providing every NYPD patrol officer with a body-worn camera is a major step forward for accountability when misconduct is found," Darche said.

An NYPD spokesperson said the number of complaints filed in 2017 was still one of the lowest ever despite the increase.

"More than 90% of our officers have never had a single substantiated civilian complaint of any kind," the spokesperson, Det. Sophia T. Mason, said in a statement. "The overwhelming majority of New York City cops come to work every day to do good, fight crime, and help people, making this city the safest it has been since the 1950s."

(Lead image: Photo by BravoKiloVideo/Shutterstock)