A police watchdog in New York recommends discipline for 65 NYPD officers accused of misconduct during BLM protests
- An NYC police watchdog suggested disciplining 65 NYPD officers accused of misconduct during the BLM protests.
- The New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board made the recommendations after receiving 750 complaints.
- The NYPD will work with the CCRB "in the process of adjudicating these cases," a department spokesperson said.
A New York City police watchdog suggested discipline for 65 officers with the New York Police Department accused of misconduct committed during the Black Lives Matter protests.
The New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board made the recommendations after receiving 750 complaints "relating to the behavior of NYPD officers at the Black Lives Matter protests over the summer," according to a press release.
It has since completed 127 full investigations into the complaints, resulting in 42 substantiated claims of misconduct containing 91 allegations against 65 officers, according to the CCBR release.
Last summer, escalated confrontations between protesters and police authorities took place during demonstrations demanding justice for George Floyd and other Black people who were killed in police-involved incidents. Police were documented firing tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowds of protesters and journalists.
The CCRB said it has seen "unprecedented challenges" have hindered its investigations into the complaints due to officers failing to follow protocol, including covering their names and shield. Some officers in New York appeared to cover their badges with black bands at protests, which advocates accused them of using to hide misconduct, Insider's Alex Nicoll reported at the time.
An NYPD spokesperson said at the time that officers wore mourning bands to honor the officers who have died from COVID-19.
"The CCRB has seen unprecedented challenges in investigating these complaints particularly around the identification of officers due to the failure to follow proper protocols, officers covering their names and shield, officers wearing protective equipment that did not belong to them, the lack of proper use of body worn cameras, as well as incomplete and severely delayed paperwork," according to the CCRB release.
Though the watchdog can make recommend discipline in light of their investigations into the complaints, the New York Police Department will work with the CCRB "in the process of adjudicating these cases," a spokesperson for the NYPD said in a statement to Insider.
The department has helped the CCRB in their investigations over the past 14 months by "providing hundreds of hours of body-worn-camera footage as well as thousands of pages of records," according to the statement.
"Police officers are entitled to due process and may choose to go forward with an administrative trial where evidence must be presented and may be challenged. These trials are open to the public," the department said. "Discipline is imposed based on a matrix of penalties that has been agreed upon between the NYPD and CCRB."
"Any discipline that results from a finding of guilt or a plea of guilty in an NYPD administrative trial will be made public in the NYPD's online discipline database," the department continued. "The NYPD has made significant strides and continues to work toward making our discipline processes transparent."
"Like any citizen, police officers should be afforded a presumption of innocence until and unless proven guilty."
Representatives for the CCRB did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.