Crime & Safety

104 NYPD Officers Guilty Of Misconduct In George Floyd Protests

But most cops found guilty of misconduct during the 2020 protests haven't faced NYPD discipline, according to a civilian watchdog board.

NEW YORK CITY — More than 100 NYPD officers — and counting — committed misconduct during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, but few of those officers have faced any discipline, according to a Civilian Complaint Review Board update released last week.

Of 104 officers accused of misconduct, "The NYPD has finalized 24 cases and imposed discipline against 10 officers," the update states.

The review board report provides a "snapshot" into ongoing probes against NYPD officers variously accused of a wide array of misconduct — from violent shoves and wanton pepper-spray attacks to arrests without clear provocation — as New Yorkers took to the streets after a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd in May 2020.

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Demonstrations over police brutality and racism quickly turned violent.

Some protesters set fires to police vehicles and looted parts of Manhattan during the protests' first days. But those incidents ended within days and gave way to peaceful protests that were met by heavy-handed NYPD responses.

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Since then, review board members fielded 750 complaints about NYPD officers' behavior, according to the board. Of those, watchdogs focused on 319 complaints containing more than 2,000 accusations, protest data shows.

Investigations remain ongoing and have faced challenges because of NYPD officers who hid badges, failed to properly use body cameras and filed incomplete or delayed paperwork, watchdogs said. Still, the review board has continued its probes and released regular updates on its progress.

The latest update states that watchdogs substantiated 65 complaints containing 187 accusations.

"The current substantiation rate in fully investigated protest complaints is 36%," it states.

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