In 2024, New York City taxpayers spent approximately $206 million settling police misconduct lawsuits, marking the highest payout in recent years. Since 2018, total payments exceeded $750 million. The Legal Aid Society criticized both city leadership and proposed changes to evidence-sharing laws, warning such reforms could increase wrongful convictions and exacerbate police misconduct. Amanda Jack of the society argued that the city prioritizes financial settlements over addressing systemic issues within the NYPD. The police department contends that the Legal Aid's statistics are misleading, indicating ongoing disputes about accountability.
The staggering payout totals for 2024 prove that the City would rather spend tens of millions in taxpayer dollars each year than take decisive action.
Our analysis, based on city data, comes amid attempts by elected officials to completely gut New York's discovery reform, which helps guard against wrongful convictions.
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