CCRB: Add to list of NYPD cops accused of wrongdoing in 2020 protests

A police watchdog agency is recommending discipline for more NYPD cops accused of misconduct during protests that roiled New York City in summer 2020, bringing the total officers under investigation to 80.

In a statement Thursday, the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board said it had completed 152 full investigations stemming from the protests after George Floyd was murdered by an on-duty Minneapolis police officer. The CCRB said is has substantiated 53 complaints of wrongdoing against the 80 cops, or almost 35% of those cases fully investigated.

According to the CCRB, in about 30% of the cases, cops were exonerated or the complaints were either unsubstantiated or unfounded. In 35% of cases cops couldn’t be identified. The CCRB generally investigates cases where officers have been accused of excessive force, discourtesy, obscene language and abuse of authority. The agency can recommend charges against cops, which can lead to a departmental trial, or ask for less serious command discipline.

In its statement, which accompanied a breakdown of the various charges from the summer 2020 complaints, the CCRB took the NYPD to task for failing to impose discipline in nine out of 12 cases reviewed, a trend which, if continued, would nullify CCRB efforts to hold cops accountable on behalf of the public, said agency head Fred Davie.

Amy Litwin, an NYPD deputy commissioner and department advocate, said in response that the 12 cases cited by the CCRB were closely reviewed by the NYPD, including a thorough examination of myriad videos used as evidence. The result, Litwin said, was some cases where videos showed cops being injured and under attack from thrown objects as well as verbal abuse.

"A number of [cops] behaved and acted as best they could under the circumstances and that is why the commissioner determined that discipline was not appropriate," Litwin said in an interview.

The protest cases have been prioritized by the CCRB, and when they are referred to the NYPD, take a long time to investigate, noted Litwin, adding that other civilian complaints to the CCRB have been caught in a backlog brought on by COVID-19

While just over half of the substantiated protest cases have been referred for charges and possible departmental trial, the remainder are subject to informal command discipline which can lead to a loss of up to ten vacation days if the officer accepts the penalty.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.