A New Watchdog for State Police
April 19, 2010
When a civilian makes an allegation of misconduct against an officer of the New York City Police Department, both the officer and the civilian know that the complaint will be investigated by a fair and impartial body — the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (NYC CCRB). But when there is a dispute over the conduct of an officer employed by one of the many police forces operated by the State of New York, there is no such recourse.
Our state government has created dozens of different police forces, of all shapes and sizes. They do important work, but when there’s a complaint, officers and civilians alike are thrown to the mercy of dozens of different internal review processes—which are often murky and inconsistent. I have introduced legislation to replace this Kafkaesque system with a single, fair and independent civilian review body — the New York State Civilian Complaint Review Board.
With this legislation, our state’s bewildering array of state police forces will be brought together under a new independent watchdog, which will monitor police and peace officers employed by the State of New York—from state troopers and Port Authority Police to parks police, animal control officers, and tax enforcers.
The board, modeled after the NYC CCRB, will be empowered to investigate complaints about misconduct by officers employed by New York State agencies, public authorities, and public benefit corporations, and to recommend disciplinary action as appropriate—including forwarding cases to district attorneys where necessary.
This is critical to improving trust between New Yorkers and law enforcement. We have seen controversies ranging from allegations that state troopers attempted to influence a witness for political reasons, to complaints about excessive force by the Public Safety Department on Roosevelt Island. When there’s a claim that an officer acted abusively, we need a review process that everyone can have faith in.
The board will have subpoena power, and will employ experienced investigators to examine allegations of abuse of authority or excessive force. Any member of the public will be able to initiate an investigation, as will the board itself. In cases where misconduct allegations are substantiated, the board will recommend appropriate disciplinary action—and if no action is taken by an officer’s employer, the case will be forwarded to the local district attorney.
The New York City CCRB was controversial at first, but you can’t argue with the fact that relations between the NYPD and the community are the best they’ve ever been. This is no coincidence: when you have fair and consistent oversight, you get better policing and more public trust in officers. Everyone wins.
The board will consist of nine members, three chosen by the Governor and six appointed upon the recommendations of, respectively, the Attorney General, the State Comptroller, the Temporary President and Minority Leader of the Senate, and the Speaker and Minority Leader of the Assembly. The legislation authorizes the board to hire an executive director and an investigative staff.
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One Response to “A New Watchdog for State Police”
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- Via @MicahKellner + @MMViverito NYPD, never sensitive to Trans NYers, but if these allegations true its beyond the pale http://t.co/UGWWI9Tn
11 hours ago from ÜberSocial for BlackBerry
Creating one agency where citizens can file complaints in place of each state agency having its own “Internal Affairs” is a great idea. I think it will help restore people’s faith that their complaints are being taken seriously and handled professionally instead of becoming lost in the system.