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Mayor de Blasio Appoints Deborah N. Archer, I. Bennett Capers, Lindsay Eason, And Michael O’connor To Civilian Complaint Review Board

October 1, 2014

NEW YORK—Mayor de Blasio today appointed Deborah N. Archer, I. Bennett Capers, Lindsay Eason, and Michael O’Connor to the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB). Mayor de Blasio designated Archer and Capers to the board; Eason and O’Connor were designated by NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton. As board members, the four appointees will help lead the agency’s efforts to investigate complaints by New Yorkers against allegations of misconduct involving the NYPD.

“The Civilian Complaint Review Board plays a critical role in protecting our residents’ rights and civil liberties. New Yorkers deserve a strong and independent organization to investigate allegations of police misconduct, and these four appointees will help us move toward our goal of building a more respectful relationship between police and the communities they serve each day,” said Mayor de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bratton.

Archer, a leading educator on social and racial justice, brings a deep knowledge of litigation on structural racial inequality and injustice to the board. Archer previously served as an assistant counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., where she litigated at the trial and appellate levels in cases involving affirmative action in higher education, employment discrimination, school desegregation, and voting rights. Today, as an Associate Dean and Professor of Law at New York Law School, Archer helps develop the school’s efforts at innovation in legal education. Archer also directs the Racial Justice Project and the Civil Rights Clinic, where she works to protect the constitutional and civil rights of people of color.

Capers, one of the foremost experts on criminal justice in the state, brings decades of experience in evidence law and criminal law and procedure to the board. A professor at Brooklyn Law School, Capers has written extensively on the relationship among race, gender and criminal law. Prior to teaching, Capers also spent nearly 10 years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he tried several federal homicide cases and earned nomination for the Department of Justice’s Director’s Award in 2004.

Commissioner Bratton’s designee Lindsay Eason brings a history of police training and law enforcement experience to the CCRB. Eason served New York City as New York City Sheriff for eight years. Prior to his work as Sheriff, Eason served in the NYPD for 23 years, where he retired as a Sergeant in the Intelligence Division. Eason, who currently serves as Director of Field Operations for Grand Central Partnership, helps manage the Grand Central Business Improvement District, providing supplemental public safety and business support services to the area. Eason has also helped design and implement training for police departments in Tajikistan, where he delivered courses in community policing partnership and use of force.

Commissioner Bratton’s designee Michael O’Connor, a transit police and law enforcement expert, has worked in New York City’s Transit police department for decades. During his years of service at the NYC Transit Police, O’Connor served as Senior Vice President and Chief of Police, helping to reduce crime and guarantee passenger safety. As President of OC Consulting Services, O’Connor currently specializes in security issues related to transportation and business improvement, and previously served as Chief of Public Safety and The Office of Emergency Management for The Port Authority of NY/NJ.

Mayor de Blasio appointed Richard Emery CCRB Chair on July 17. Archer and Capers represent the Mayor’s second and third designees to the 13-member board. Eason and O’Connor represent the Police Commissioner’s first and second designees to the board. The CCRB is made up of 13 members: five members designated by the Mayor; five members designated by the City Council; and three members designated by the police commissioner. The CCRB is an independent agency that is empowered to receive, investigate, mediate, hear, make findings, and recommend action on complaints against New York City police officers alleging the use of excessive or unnecessary force, abuse of authority, discourtesy, or the use of offensive language.

About I. Bennett Capers

I. Bennett Capers is a professor at Brooklyn Law School. Prior to teaching, Capers worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York. Capers’ work trying several federal racketeering cases earned him a nomination for the Department of Justice’s Director’s Award in 2004. He also practiced with the firms of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton and Willkie Farr & Gallagher. He clerked for the Hon. John S. Martin, Jr. of the Southern District of New York, and has also taught at Hofstra University School of Law and Fordham Law School.

Capers is an elected member of the American Law Institute, an appointed member of the New York State Judicial Screening Committee, and he served as Chairperson of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) 2013 Conference on Criminal Justice. In September 2013, Capers was named chair of the 13-member Academic Advisory Council formulated by Judge Shira Scheindlin to help the court-appointed monitor and facilitator implement reforms to NYPD stop and frisk practices. Capers earned a B.A. from Princeton University, and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.

About Deborah N. Archer

Deborah N. Archer is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at NY Law School and a Professor of Law. Archer was previously an assistant counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. She was also a Marvin H. Karpatkin Fellow with the American Civil Liberties Union, where she was involved in federal and state litigation on issues of race and poverty. Prior to joining New York Law School, Dean Archer was an associate at Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett LLP.

Archer is also Director of the Racial Justice Project and the Civil Rights Clinic, and has participated as amicus counsel in several cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Courts of Appeal, including Ricci v. DeStefano, Fisher v. University of Texas, and Shelby County v. Holder. Archer clerked for Judge Alvin Thompson in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. Archer earned a B.A. from Smith College, and a J.D. from Yale Law School.

About Lindsay Eason

Lindsay Eason currently works as Director of Field Operations for Grand Central Partnership, a private 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. From 2011-2012, Eason served as an International Police Training Manager for The Emergence Group in Tajikistan, where he was contracted to design and implement training for police departments. Eason was appointed to New York City Sherriff in 2002, where he developed and implemented SherriffStat, leading to new procedures that promoted greater accountability and professional development.

Eason began his career in law enforcement as a uniformed member of the NYPD. He earned his B.S. from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and is a graduate of the New York Police Academy and the FBI’s National Academy.

About Michael O’Connor

Michael O’Connor currently serves as President of OC Consulting Services. Prior to joining OC Consulting Services, O’Connor served as Chief of Public Safety and The Office of Emergency Management for The Port Authority of NY/NJ, where he was responsible for the security and policing of all of the facilities and operations of the Port Authority’s airports, bus terminals, bridges, tunnels and shipping ports. From 1995-2004, O’Connor was Senior Vice President of Operations at Alliance for Downtown NY, managing the entire operations function of New York City's largest Business Improvement District.

From 1965-1994, O’Connor served with NYC Transit Police, most recently as Senior Vice President & Chief of Police. He had overall command of the New York City Transit Police Department, which is one of three major operating departments of the New York City Transit Authority, and the sixth largest police force in the nation. O’Connor is a graduate of the National Executive Institute at the F.B.I. National Academy. He earned a B.A. from Empire State College in the State University of New York’s School of Labor Relations.

 

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