New York attorney general sues NYPD to install monitor, alleges years of civil rights abuses
New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued the city of New York, as well as its mayor and police commissioner to install a monitor to oversee the police department, alleging civil rights abuses, including by officers at protests over the death of George Floyd.
"No one is above the law — not even the individuals charged with enforcing it," James said Thursday.
James said the "landmark lawsuit" outlines years of excessive force and false arrests, most recently during racial justice protests last year.
"The NYPD and its senior leaders failed to address this longstanding pattern of abuse by not properly training, supervising, and disciplining officers to prevent misconduct, despite knowing and publicly admitting that it violated the rights of New Yorkers," James said.
It is past time, she said, for meaningful change.
"That’s why we are seeking systemic reforms to the NYPD and the installation of a monitor to oversee the NYPD’s policing tactics in future protests and to ensure they are complying with the law," James said. "With today’s lawsuit, this longstanding pattern of brutal and illegal force ends."
James said that she does not think that every officer is problematic, but that the city has a "systemic problem," that needs to be addressed.
