Court Orders NYPD to Turn Over Internal Records About Police Misconduct

  • December 14, 1997

The Supreme Court of New York County ruled that Mark Green, a public advocate, was entitled to documents about civilian complaints against the New York City Police Department. The NYPD had refused to provide documents, under New York’s Freedom of Information Law, showing that the agency routinely ignored complaints about police officer misconduct, even when they were substantiated by the independent Civilian Complaint Review Board. Appealing the NYPD’s refusal to the Supreme Court, Green estimated that between one-third and one-half of all cases in which the CCRB substantiated claims of police misconduct, the officer at fault received no punishment. The Court ruled that the NYPD must provide its internal records to Green. ECBAWM founding partner Richard Emery represented Mark Green.