A U.S. Department of Justice seal is on display on a...

A U.S. Department of Justice seal is on display on a podium before a news conference at the field office in Portland, Ore. on Jan. 16. Credit: AP/Jenny Kane

Civil rights advocates and police reform activists on Long Island Thursday reacted with alarm to a new Trump administration directive that would severely limit federal oversight of local police departments.

The Trump administration, in a memo, instructed lawyers in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division not to file any new complaints, The Associated Press reported Thursday.

Both of Long Island’s large police departments, in Nassau and Suffolk, have been the subject of complaints alleging racial bias, resulting in Department of Justice monitoring and court-enforced reforms.

"This is disturbing but not surprising coming from an administration that has been really determined to shield police departments from accountability, which has already been a pervasive problem," Susan Gottehrer, director of the Nassau County branch of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in a Newsday interview Thursday. "As the federal government is pushing for weaker oversight of police departments, we now must try to make sure our local DAs step up to respond to discriminatory policing."

Of the police departments on Long Island, she said: "I guess they're going to be breathing a sigh of relief. It's very discouraging. And I'm being nice."

Civil rights attorney Frederick K. Brewington decried the move, which he said would ensure a failure to provide meaningful oversight to limit police brutality and other misconduct.

"I think we are in very scary times with regard to police having carte blanche to violate the rights of citizens and noncitizens alike," said Brewington in an interview. "Police officers are basically being given a clear opportunity to do whatever they want to whomever they want."

Another Justice Department memo ordered lawyers to notify Department of Justice leadership of any settlements or consent decrees reached in the last three months of the Biden administration, the AP reported, saying Trump’s administration "may wish to reconsider" the agreements, which lay our plans for police reform and are enforceable by the courts.

It does not appear that any Long Island police departments have reached settlements in that time period.

A Justice Department spokesman did not respond to a message from Newsday seeking comment on the new directives.

Spokespersons for both police departments did not provide comment Thursday. The district attorneys in Nassau and Suffolk also declined to comment.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with her counterparts in 10 other states, said they won’t abide by any Trump administration-ordered freeze on civil rights litigation. The attorneys general said they would focus on continuing to enforce laws to protect immigrants.

"Despite what he may say to the contrary, the president cannot unilaterally rewrite the Constitution," they said in a statement Thursday. In New York, State Executive Law 70-b gives the attorney general authority to investigate all instances in which a police officer may have caused a death.

The law was passed in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.

In 2019, during the first Trump administration, the Department of Justice mandated that the agreements be "narrowly tailored" and "not be used to achieve general policy goals" and limited the length of monitoring time to three years, Newsday previously reported.

Last May, the Department of Justice under President Joe Biden, announced it was ending its monitoring of the Suffolk County Police Department over allegations of discriminatory policing of Latinos, concluding the county had made substantial reforms 10 years after the federal oversight began — a decision that was decried by local activists.

The Suffolk police department also signed a consent decree with the Department of Justice in 1986 after the agency filed a class-action lawsuit three years earlier charging that the county engaged in a pattern of discrimination against minorities.

The Department of Justice sued Nassau County in 1977, charging the county discriminated against Black, Hispanic and female candidates. Nassau entered into a consent decree with the Justice Department in 1983.

Gottehrer said New York also needs to pass more laws to create police accountability, including making internal police data public.

"The police department does put out data, but they don't put it out in a way that you can make connections," Gottehrer said of Nassau.

Brewington said activists will have to be more vigilant than ever.

"This is a crucial time in the great American experiment," said Brewington. "We can either stand by and be mistreated or give power to the people."

With Michael Gormley

Civil rights advocates and police reform activists on Long Island Thursday reacted with alarm to a new Trump administration directive that would severely limit federal oversight of local police departments.

The Trump administration, in a memo, instructed lawyers in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division not to file any new complaints, The Associated Press reported Thursday.

Both of Long Island’s large police departments, in Nassau and Suffolk, have been the subject of complaints alleging racial bias, resulting in Department of Justice monitoring and court-enforced reforms.

"This is disturbing but not surprising coming from an administration that has been really determined to shield police departments from accountability, which has already been a pervasive problem," Susan Gottehrer, director of the Nassau County branch of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in a Newsday interview Thursday. "As the federal government is pushing for weaker oversight of police departments, we now must try to make sure our local DAs step up to respond to discriminatory policing."

WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND

  • Civil rights advocates and police reform activists on Long Island Thursday reacted with alarm to a new Trump administration directive that would severely limit federal oversight of local police departments.
  • The Trump Administration, in a memo, instructed lawyers in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division not to file any new complaints, The Associated Press reported Thursday.
  • Both of Long Island’s large police departments, in Nassau and Suffolk, have been the subject of complaints alleging racial bias, resulting in Department of Justice monitoring and court-enforced reforms.

Of the police departments on Long Island, she said: "I guess they're going to be breathing a sigh of relief. It's very discouraging. And I'm being nice."

Civil rights attorney Frederick K. Brewington decried the move, which he said would ensure a failure to provide meaningful oversight to limit police brutality and other misconduct.

"I think we are in very scary times with regard to police having carte blanche to violate the rights of citizens and noncitizens alike," said Brewington in an interview. "Police officers are basically being given a clear opportunity to do whatever they want to whomever they want."

Another Justice Department memo ordered lawyers to notify Department of Justice leadership of any settlements or consent decrees reached in the last three months of the Biden administration, the AP reported, saying Trump’s administration "may wish to reconsider" the agreements, which lay our plans for police reform and are enforceable by the courts.

It does not appear that any Long Island police departments have reached settlements in that time period.

A Justice Department spokesman did not respond to a message from Newsday seeking comment on the new directives.

The U.S. Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C., on...

The U.S. Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 7. Credit: AP/Jose Luis Magana

Spokespersons for both police departments did not provide comment Thursday. The district attorneys in Nassau and Suffolk also declined to comment.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with her counterparts in 10 other states, said they won’t abide by any Trump administration-ordered freeze on civil rights litigation. The attorneys general said they would focus on continuing to enforce laws to protect immigrants.

"Despite what he may say to the contrary, the president cannot unilaterally rewrite the Constitution," they said in a statement Thursday. In New York, State Executive Law 70-b gives the attorney general authority to investigate all instances in which a police officer may have caused a death.

The law was passed in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.

In 2019, during the first Trump administration, the Department of Justice mandated that the agreements be "narrowly tailored" and "not be used to achieve general policy goals" and limited the length of monitoring time to three years, Newsday previously reported.

Last May, the Department of Justice under President Joe Biden, announced it was ending its monitoring of the Suffolk County Police Department over allegations of discriminatory policing of Latinos, concluding the county had made substantial reforms 10 years after the federal oversight began — a decision that was decried by local activists.

The Suffolk police department also signed a consent decree with the Department of Justice in 1986 after the agency filed a class-action lawsuit three years earlier charging that the county engaged in a pattern of discrimination against minorities.

The Department of Justice sued Nassau County in 1977, charging the county discriminated against Black, Hispanic and female candidates. Nassau entered into a consent decree with the Justice Department in 1983.

Gottehrer said New York also needs to pass more laws to create police accountability, including making internal police data public.

"The police department does put out data, but they don't put it out in a way that you can make connections," Gottehrer said of Nassau.

Brewington said activists will have to be more vigilant than ever.

"This is a crucial time in the great American experiment," said Brewington. "We can either stand by and be mistreated or give power to the people."

With Michael Gormley

Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV Credit: Newsday

9 arraigned in missing girl case  ... Romantic spas in the winter ... What's up on Long Island ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV

Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV Credit: Newsday

9 arraigned in missing girl case  ... Romantic spas in the winter ... What's up on Long Island ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV

FLASH SALE

$1 FOR ONE YEAR

Unlimited Digital Access

SUBSCRIBE NOW >>Cancel anytime - new subscribers only