The city of New York saw a dramatic increase in the amount of money it paid to settle police and prosecutorial misconduct lawsuits in 2024, reaching a peak of nearly $206 million for the year. This figure represents a significant jump from the $116 million paid out in 2023 and far exceeds the under $90 million from 2021, indicating an upward trend in settlements that activists say points to a deeper, unresolved issue of systemic abuse within the system.
According to an analysis by the Legal Aid Society, highlighted by the Daily News, these figures could be just the tip of the iceberg, as they don't take into account cases settled before lawsuits were officially filed. These payments, which have been gradually growing, have amounted to $756 million since 2018. Yet, despite these numbers, there appears to still be reluctance to aggressively address the recurring patterns of misconduct within the New York Police Department (NYPD).
The Gothamist report points out that the payouts in 2024 covered 953 police misconduct lawsuits, including substantial payments towards individuals who were wrongfully convicted of crimes decades prior. This includes the cases of Norberto Peets, awarded $14.75 million after being wrongfully imprisoned for 26 years, and James Davis, who received an $8.5 million settlement subsequent to spending 17 years in prison. These cases are emblematic of deeper flaws that have long plagued the city's justice system.
"The staggering payout totals for 2024 prove that the city would rather to annually spend tens of millions in taxpayer dollars than take decisive action to dismantle the culture of impunity within the NYPD that allows this gross misconduct to persist," Amanda Jack, a policy director at Legal Aid, said in a statement obtained by the Daily News. The NYPD's stance has been marked by a spokesperson's comment that the cases pertain to issues beyond police abuse, encompassing prosecutorial misconduct and wrongful convictions that span over 20 years.
These revelations come amidst discourse surrounding New York's discovery law, with Legal Aid emphasizing the law's role in exposing police misconduct and aiding in the prevention of wrongful convictions, contrary to arguments by some in law enforcement that suggest the law has led to more crime and recidivism. Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed amendments to the discovery law in an attempt to "streamline" the process, a controversial move that some fear may undermine the safeguards against wrongful convictions. "These wrongful convictions led to the exonerees spending over 20 years in prison," Kalle Condliffe, a senior staff attorney at Legal Aid, told the Gothamist about the profound impacts of these legal failures.
