Complaints Against NYPD Reached All-Time High in 2009
New York, NY —
The city's police watchdog agency released a report today showing that a record number of complaints against police officers was filed in 2009.
The Civilian Complaint Review Board says that last year a total of 7,674 New Yorkers complained about police misconduct, an all-time high.
The New York Civil Liberties Union's Associate Director Chris Dunn says he's alarmed that a majority of cases of proven misconduct don't result in any disciplinary action.
"The cases are there, they're being investigated, there is no question there is serious misconduct," Dunn says. "The problem is, the police department, the mayor's office have just decided they don't care about this."
NYPD Spokesman Paul Browne says the number of complaints simply shows the public's confidence that the system works. Browne says the department does track the complaints and use them to identify problem conduct by officers.
