New NYPD discipline records show 142 complaints and 456 allegations filed against police officers in Bushwick’s 83 precinct
In a new database of NYPD discipline records, you can search thousands of complaints filed against police officers from 1985-present.
In a scathing new database created by ProPublica, citizens can now look up records of thousands of complaints filed against New York City police officers from September 1985 to January 2020.
The data accounts for active-duty officers who have had at least one allegation against them substantiated, or confirmed by the New York Civilian Complaint Review Board, or CCRB. In total, that includes roughly 4,000 officers out of the NYPD’s 36,000-member force – or nearly 1 in 9 officers.
We searched the database to find complaints filed in Bushwick’s 83 precinct, and found that over the last 19 years, 75 officers have had complaints filed against them. As of late June 2020, each of these officers are still on the force, according to the data.
A total of 142 complaints and 456 allegations have been filed in this precinct since 2000, with a number of allegations including abuse of authority, excessive force, and discourtesy.
Prior to the death of George Floyd, New York state had outlawed the release of police discipline records to the public, making it illegal for citizens to know about allegations of abuse and misconduct within the force, ProPublica reported.
This law made it possible to protect Daniel Pantaleo, the police officer who killed Eric Garner in 2014. Despite having a history of misconduct, Panetaleo was able to stay on the force until being fired in 2019.
But last month, after activists continued a long-standing fight to push state lawmakers to repeal the statute that kept these records shielded from the public, the provision was repealed. Following this decision, ProPublica worked with the CCRB and began sifting through available data.
While police unions and a federal judge have attempted to halt the publication of this data, ProPublica made the editorial choice to release the information for the public good.
“We understand the arguments against releasing this data. But we believe the public good it could do outweighs the potential harm,” Stephen Engelberg, ProPublica’s editor in chief said in a statement.
“The database gives the people of New York City a glimpse at how allegations involving police misconduct have been handled, and allows journalists and ordinary citizens alike to look more deeply at the records of particular officers.”
At a time when police violence is being criticized across the country, the database sheds light on the pervasive issue of misconduct within the country’s largest police force.
In total, the data found that abuse of authority was the most common complaint filed against NYPD officers, which includes violating protocol with unlawful stop and frisk, searching without warrant, threatening arrest, and refusing to disclose badge number or information, among other things.
Cover image courtesy of Giacomo Barbaro for Bushwick Daily
For more news, sign up for Bushwick Daily’s newsletter.
Join the fight to save local journalism by becoming a paid subscriber.