Tag: Police Reform

A Blueprint for Department-Wide Restraint

An Analysis of NYPD Excessive Force Complaints, Claims, and Lawsuits

Executive Summary

Allegations from the public that New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) officers have used excessive or unnecessary force increased significantly during the Adams Administration,[1] increasing risks to New Yorkers, costly claims payouts, and the erosion of community trust that can undermine public safety. Incidents of excessive or unnecessary use of force investigated and closed by the City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) jumped by 49% between 2022 and 2023, to the highest number since 2013. In addition, in Fiscal Year 2025, “Police Action” claims—including those involving excessive or unnecessary force—were the most common tort claims against the City, with 6,082 claims filed and over $113 million in settlements, making the NYPD the City’s largest source of claims.[2]

Some recent developments suggest that the NYPD is taking steps to better address officer misconduct. In March 2025, Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that the NYPD imposed discipline in 100% of substantiated cases prosecuted by the CCRB.[3] The NYPD has also shifted from sending officers who conducted unconstitutional stops solely to retraining, imposing stricter disciplinary measures such as suspension in some cases. However, gaps remain. For example, after CCRB substantiated charges following a Force complaint, NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Trials, Rosemarie Maldonado, found that Lt. Jonathan Rivera’s shooting was not justified under New York law, found him guilty of Assault in the First Degree, and recommended termination in a March 5, 2025 decision. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch reversed that decision, finding Rivera not guilty on all specifications on August 15, 2025, and allowed him to remain employed as an NYPD police officer. Read on HERE

Get the report HERE

Use of Force By NYPD Officers Surged 20% Last Year

Use of force by members of the NYPD surged 20% last year to 11,746 incidents — a record high since the department began detailed record-keeping on the issue in 2016, according to a police department report quietly posted online in recent days. 
Roughly half the incidents of force occurred in response to crimes or violations in progress, which often result in arrests. Incidents involving people in mental or emotional distress and encounters with prisoners accounted for 14% and 7% of the total, respectively, according to the report. 
The department recorded just over 260,000 arrests last year, the highest total since 2017, when there were 286,230 arrests. That year, however, there were 7,369 incidents where force was used — nearly 40% fewer than last year.

Read More HERE

See the report HERE

Police Brass Agrees to Suspend Officers for Violating Rights of Black Driver During Downtown Traffic Stop | Chicago News | WTTW

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability determined that three tactical team officers assigned to patrol the Near North (18th) Police District improperly searched Limorris Bell and his car on Sept. 1, 2024.
— Read on news.wttw.com/2025/12/16/police-brass-agrees-suspend-officers-violating-rights-black-driver-during-downtown

See also:

https://www.chicagocopa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2024-0007034_FSR.pdf

https://news.wttw.com/2025/10/27/police-misconduct-agency-identified-troubling-pattern-stops-black-chicagoans-downtown

https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/article/file-attachments/COPA_Letter_to_Cmdr._Barz.pdf

Guidebook on Democratic Policing – by the Senior Police Adviser to the OSCE Secretary General

Introduction
The police are the most visible manifestation of government authority responsible for public
security. While being under enormous pressure throughout the OSCE area to counter the rising
tide of organized crime and the new threats to international and national security, including those emanating from terrorism, the police must operate in accordance with national and international law and respect human rights at all times.
The OSCE participating States “consider the democratic political control of […] the police to be an indispensable element of stability and security.”1 In the course of supporting a democratization process in post-conflict societies, as well as societies in transition, a growing emphasis has been placed on the rule of law. This has revealed the lack of a standardized conceptual foundation to guide these police-related activities, resulting in a number of different approaches towards implementing police training as well as police reform programmes.

Get the report HERE