New York pays $22 million for civil rights violations against the NYPD.
New York City, NY - Two Colombian brothers received $1.2 million after spending a combined 17 years in prison for armed robbery convictions that were eventually thrown out.
A 12-year-old Forest Hills girl collected $115,000 after her arrest for doodling on her junior high school desk with a green erasable marker.
And a small-time thief banked $150,000 after accusing cops of smashing his head through the windshield of a car while he was in handcuffs.
The hefty sums were among 35 settlements and judgments worth $100,000 or more that the city paid between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012, to end lawsuits accusing the NYPD of violating civil rights, DNAinfo.com New York has learned.
In total, the three-dozen cases cost the city $22.8 million, according to data compiled by the city comptroller's office.
The largest payout this past year was $15 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing police of illegal arrests for loitering.
The accusations in the other lawsuits run the gamut — from illegal arrests to police brutality to cops withholding medication from inmates.
Civil rights advocates say the costly settlements and judgments should force the NYPD to reassess its tactics.
The payments also come as accusations of civil rights violations have risen in recent years, according to the city comptroller's office. Between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011, 2,241 civil rights claims were filed against the NYPD — up 23 percent from the 1,826 claims filed a year earlier.
Meanwhile, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly have had to defend the NYPD's controversial stop-and-frisk policy from a growing chorus of critics who say the practice unfairly targets minorities.
"It was a horror show. His face looked like Frankenstein," lawyer Alexander Levine said, referring to his client Valerio Perez, who accused cops of leaving him bruised and bloodied on Oct. 19, 2009.
Attorney James Meyerson, who focuses his practice on police misconduct, said he hasn't noticed an uptick in civil rights violations but said he believes the NYPD needs to reassess policing techniques like stop-and-frisks, a practice in which cops search individuals they decide are suspicious and ask for their identification.
"The stop-and-frisk policy and practice as formalized in the city of New York is reflective of a deeper attitudinal problem in policing approaches, particularly in minority neighborhoods," he said.
Christopher Dunn, an associate legal director at the New York Civil Liberties Union, said the large payouts should push the NYPD to revaluate its police force and tactics.
"These enormous settlements are a clear sign that police misconduct is a serious problem in New York City. Instead of wasting taxpayer dollars year after year, the city should be working hard to identify unlawful NYPD practices and out-of-control officers and instituting reforms to prevent misconduct before it happens," Dunn said.
http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120829/new-york-city/city-shells-out-22-million-settle-civil-rights-cases-against-nypd