145 NYPD Cops Committed Misconduct In George Floyd Protests: Watchdog

NEW YORK CITY — A wide-ranging probe into NYPD wrongdoing during the George Floyd protests substantiated misconduct cases against 145 officers, according to a civilian watchdog report.

The report released Wednesday by Civilian Complaint Review Board members is the latest — and perhaps penultimate — snapshot into a nearly two-year investigation into hundreds of complaints leveled against NYPD officers by protesters.

Just 10 investigations remain pending, according to the report. So far, CCRB members have recommended serving charges — the highest form of punishment — against 88 officers and lighter forms of discipline against 57 cops, the snapshot states.

But those recommendations have failed to lead to much action from NYPD officials, who carry the final say in discipline hearings.

"The NYPD has finalized 44 cases and imposed discipline against 18 officers," the snapshot states.

The probe covers NYPD misconduct during massive protests against police brutality and racial injustice that unfolded in summer 2020 after the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

Massive, sometimes violent, protests started in May 2020, with many demonstrators setting fires to police vehicles and looting parts of Manhattan.

But those incidents in the protests' first days gave way to peaceful demonstrations that were met by often heavy-handed NYPD responses, which were detailed and faulted by a Department of Investigation probe and a lawsuit by Attorney General Letitia James.

Videos showed, among other things, protesters being violently shoved, pepper-sprayed, hit with police vehicles and arrested without clear provocation.

"As the demonstrations continued, the very thing being protested — aggressive actions of law enforcement — was on public display," James said in January 2021.

The CCRB investigation ran parallel with the DOI and Attorney General actions — and focused on specific accusations against NYPD officers.

But CCRB members complained their investigations were stymied by the NYPD.

"The CCRB has seen unprecedented challenges in investigating these complaints particularly around the identification of officers due to the failure to follow proper protocols, officers covering their names and shield, officers wearing protective equipment that did not belong to
them, the lack of proper use of body worn cameras, as well as incomplete and severely delayed paperwork," the CCRB snapshot states.

Read the full CCRB snapshot here.