NYPD Launches Database Of Cop Records, Discipline Files

New York City NY

08 March, 2021

3:14 PM

Description

NEW YORK CITY — A years-long battle to open up the NYPD's discipline files ended with a few keystrokes — but also appears to need a few more to finish the job. The NYPD launched an online database that details individual officers' records, from arrests they've made to awards they've received. And, crucially, it also promises to contain disciplinary records for active officers. "With the release of information related to our internal discipline process, we look to further increase our transparency and ensure that every member of the service is properly held accountable for their conduct," Commissioner Dermot Shea said in a statement on the website. But it appears the NYPD's online files were at least partially incomplete when the dashboard went live. Patch conducted a search for disciplinary files on the department's three officers who faced accusations they applied illegal chokeholds at least three times. None of those cases showed up in the NYPD database yet. Likewise, Fabio Nunez, a detective posted in Washington Heights with 16 past misconduct complaints, including three that were substantiated, appears to have a spotless record on the new NYPD site. "This officer does not have any applicable entries," his disciplinary record states on the site. By contrast, the Civilian Complaint Review Board, which last week published their own trove of disciplinary files, lists all 16 complaints against Nunez. A look into the fine print on the NYPD site states more files, including disciplinary history cases, additional trial decisions and disciplinary actions beyond cases, will be added "later." Pending cases, those not resulting in discipline and those involving officers who are no longer with the force aren't included. "The NYPD is in the process of preparing more decisions for publication, and they will be added as they become ready," the dashboard states. Both the NYPD and Civilian Complaint Review Board databases were prompted by the repeal of the 50-A transparency law and ensuing court case brought by police unions, who argued releasing discipline files would put officers in danger. An appeals court ultimately ordered the records' release after it found that other police departments across the country routinely release such files without any harm to officers. Check out the dashboard here.