Appellate Division Says You Can File A Complaint About Police Misconduct Even If You're Not the Victim Or Witness
An appeals court has ruled you don't have to be an eyewitness to police misconduct to file a complaint against an officer.
The decision overturns a lower court ruling that said allowing people to file complaints with the Civilian Complaint Review Board based on things like a YouTube video would result in a "mass influx of complaints based on unreliable information." But the appellate decision says there's no basis for that speculation. When the CCRB investigates non-witness complaints, it's supposed to consider several factors, including the severity of the incident and how many others have complained.
The CCRB says the decision brings police accountability into the 21st century, where social media is prevalent. The police union says the review board is out of control and that it wants unlimited power to harass the police.
