Midtown NYPD Precincts Have Nearly 300 Misconduct Allegations

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Police officers assigned to the two precincts that patrol Midtown Manhattan and Hell's Kitchen have amassed nearly 300 allegations of misconduct, according to a new database logging allegations and disciplinary records for active-duty members of the NYPD.

Thirty-seven officers assigned to the Midtown North precinct and 45 officers assigned to the Midtown South precinct have been investigated for claims of misconduct including using excessive force, abusing authority and using offensive language or discourteous actions when dealing with New Yorkers. The Midtown North officers tallied 68 complaints with 153 allegations and the Midtown South officers tallied 64 complaints with 129 allegations, according to the new database published by ProPublica. A single complaint can carry more than one allegation of misconduct.

Detective squads for the Midtown North and South precincts racked up five and eight allegations of misconduct respectively. The combined total for Midtown's precincts and detective squads puts the total number of allegations at 295.

State lawmakers voted in June to repeal the decades-old 50-a statute that kept NYPD disciplinary records under lock-and-key. Repealing 50-a was part of a larger package of police reforms enacted following nationwide protest following the killing of Minneapolis man George Floyd. Floyd died in police custody after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes while responding to an alleged minor crime.

ProPublica built its database using disciplinary records from the Civilian Complaint Review Board. The database includes information for all closed investigations, including whether allegations were substantiated and if the officers faced discipline.

An NYPD spokesperson said the department is waiting for "the results of pending litigation" to comment on the database or release its own disciplinary records.

"The NYPD has for many years worked to increase transparency to gain the trust of the communities we serve. While we remain committed to increased transparency, we are equally committed to due process. While recent legislation repealed NYS Civil Rights Law Section 50a, a federal judge issued a restraining order prohibiting the release of records of which allegations against our officers were found to be false, unfounded or unsubstantiated," Sergeant Mary Frances O’Donnell said in a statement.

Unions representing members of the NYPD, FDNY and corrections officers have sued to prevent the release of disciplinary records following the repeal of 50-a.

About 4,000 members of the NYPD's 36,000-member force have had allegations against them substantiated by the Civilian Complaint Review Board, according to ProPublica's report. These allegations were substantiated despite the CCRB's limited powers to investigate police conduct, according to ProPublica.

See ProPublica's full database here.