De Blasio Administration Announces Significant Drop in Misconduct Complaints Filed Against NYPD During Second Half of 2014

December 5, 2014

CCRB complaints dropped 26 percent from July through November, the largest decline over a five month period since the agency was created in 1993

NEW YORK—Mayor de Blasio and Richard Emery, Chair of the NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board, today announced the latest data on police misconduct complaints, showing a significant decline in complaints filed during the second half of 2014 and in all categories of misconduct.

From July 1 through November 30, 2014, there were 1,813 complaints filed with the CCRB, a decline of 26 percent compared to the same period of 2013, when there were 2,450 complaints filed. This represents the largest decline in complaints over a five-month period since the agency was created in 1993.

CCRB complaints stem from police encounters in which there are often multiple allegations of misconduct that fall into four basic categories: excessive force; abuse of authority; discourtesy; and offensive language.  From the period of July 1 through November 30, there were large declines in allegations in all four of these categories, compared to the same period of 2013: 

• Excessive force allegations fell by 29%
• Abuse of authority allegations, including stop and frisk, fell by 22%
• Discourtesy allegations fell by 24%
• Offensive language allegations fell by 20%

“Over the past eleven months, my administration has implemented a series of initiatives and reforms aimed at bridging the gap between the NYPD and the communities they serve. From ending the overuse of stop and frisk, to dropping the City’s legal challenge to the racial profiling ban, to changing the department’s policy on possession of small amounts of marijuana, we’re steadily bringing crime down while drawing police and community closer together. Commissioner Bratton is a force of change—and as we embark on the retraining of every single officer and continue to along this path of reform, I hope to see a continued drop in complaints,” said Mayor de Blasio.

“The new regimes at the Police Department and the CCRB seem to be working. It appears that this precipitous decline in complaints means police are getting the message. The goal now is bringing down complaints even further,” said Richard Emery, CCRB Chair.

Looking at the entire year from January 1 through November 30, compared to the same period in 2013, there was a 10 percent decline in overall complaints filed with the CCRB, from 5,004 to 4,510 complaints.

During this 11-month period there were also declines in every category of allegation:

• Excessive force allegations fell by 11%
• Abuse of authority allegations fell by 3.5%
• Discourtesy allegations fell by 11%
• Offensive language allegations fell by 5%

The CCRB is making this latest information on complaint activity and more available on a new Complaint Activity Maps (CAM) web page. The information will be updated weekly and is part of the Board Chair Emery’s commitment to the Mayor and to New Yorkers to increase the transparency of CCRB’s operations and to make its trove of data readily accessible and understandable.