BY TAYLOR WOFFORD
In the report, Eure added that
his office plans to launch another review to determine whether such behavior is
indicative of a broader trend, and whether it has continued under Police Commissioner
Bill Bratton.
Updated | A new report released
Monday by New York City’s police inspector general found the New York Police
Department frequently ignored the advice of its civilian oversight board to
bring disciplinary action against officers found to have put suspects in choke
holds.
Choke holds have been
prohibited by the NYPD Patrol Guide since 1994, which defines them as “any
pressure to the throat or windpipe, which may prevent or hinder breathing or
reduce intake of air.” The use of choke holds by police has been in the
spotlight since the July death of Eric Garner, who was stopped by police for
selling loose cigarettes and died after being placed in an apparent choke hold.
The incident was captured on camera and became a flashpoint for a series of
protests on the use of police force.
As first reported by The New
York Times, the inspector general reviewed 10 cases in which the Civilian
Complaint Review Board (CCRB), an independent government agency tasked with
investigating misconduct by NYPD officers, recommended disciplinary action
against officers it found to have put suspects in choke holds between 2009 and
2014. In six of those cases, then-Police Commissioner Ray Kelly reportedly
ignored the board’s recommendation, opting instead for lighter punishment, and,
in one case, no punishment at all.
“NYPD largely rejected CCRB’s findings and
recommendations and, thus, mooted CCRB’s role in the process,” the report says.
“In fact, there was no indication from the records reviewed that NYPD seriously
contemplated CCRB’s disciplinary recommendations or that CCRB’s input added any
value to the disciplinary process,” it continues. “Yet in none of these cases
did the police commissioner provide any explanation for these disciplinary
decisions.”
“These are pretty serious
cases. Obviously, we are going to be looking at a broader sample of cases to
see if it’s more systemic,” the inspector general, Philip K. Eure, told the
Times. “But people should be troubled by the disconnect that we determined
exists already in the disciplinary process.”
In the report, Eure added that
his office plans to launch another review to determine whether such behavior is
indicative of a broader trend, and whether it has continued under Police
Commissioner Bill Bratton.
The 45-page report also found
that, in a number of cases where officers were found to have used choke holds,
the officers quickly resorted to placing suspects in the hold when they met
verbal resistance.
In a cover letter addressed to
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito
and Bratton, Eure wrote the improper use of force and management of discipline
for NYPD officers is one of four areas his office plans to review. The other
three are patterns of low-level arrests and summonses, surveillance of
religious and political groups, and police encounters with people involving
mental illness.
The inspector general delayed
the release of the report after two officers were shot and killed in Brooklyn
last month, it said. The NYPD has not yet commented on the report, and declined
a request for by Newsweek for comment.
