More than 80 cops have been named in Queens lawsuits this year
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New NYPD officers attend a graduation ceremony at Madison Square Garden in 2014. Mayor’s Office/Flickr.
By David Brand
More than 80 lawsuits were filed against NYPD officers in Queens Supreme and Civil Courts during the first six months of 2019, according to a biannual database of lawsuits published by the city Wednesday.
Every July and January, the city posts a spreadsheet that lists each civil action filed against the NYPD during the previous five years. The list of lawsuits is mandated by a 2017 law signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio.
So far this year, the city has paid $40,827,660 in settlements for NYPD-related lawsuits. Since 2015, the city has paid $322,096,991, according to the city’s data set.
Overall, 996 officers were named in 716 lawsuits citywide in 2019. At least 82 officers were named in lawsuits filed in Queens. Some lawsuits name more than one officer.
One complaint filed in Queens Supreme Court in May 2018, for example, names 10 different NYPD officers. The pending awsuit was filed by two men formerly charged with murder who claim that NYPD officers coerced “fabricated” witness testimony to close a 2015 Jamaica homicide case.
The officers arrested the two men based on a statement by the witness, the lawsuit alleges. The witness later changed her testimony. The NYPD also allegedly withheld IP address evidence that indicated that the two men charged with the murder were not in the vicinity of the scene, the lawsuit states.
The Queens DA’s Office dropped the charges in light of the new evidence and the two men accused of the murder were released in 2018 after spending more than two years in jail.
The city Law Department declined to comment for this story.
A total of 2,262 officers were named in 1,605 lawsuits in 2018, including 1,196 officers in 854 complaints during the first half of the year.
Tina Luongo, attorney-in-charge of the Criminal Defense Practice at The Legal Aid Society, said the volume of complaints reveals “rampant and systemic misconduct” by the NYPD, especially in communities of color.
“These numbers will remain high unless the NYPD seriously revamps its disciplinary process so that officers who engage in this conduct receive more than just a slap on the wrist,” Luongo said.
