Racial Profiling Suit Settled Against Strategic Intelligence Unit in Rockland

NEW CITY, NY — Black members of the Rockland community group "We the People" accused the Rockland County District Attorney and the Clarkstown Police Department of racial profiling after learning that criminal background checks had been run on members of their group. They filed a federal lawsuit. Now the town's insurance company has settled the case for $300,000.

“The Town’s insurer, The Travelers, independently decided to settle the lawsuit brought by We the People and bring this unfortunate incident to a close. It’s sad that the actions of Chief Sullivan and a police sergeant have cost the town $300,000,” said Vincent Balascio, Clarkstown Director of Finance, in a statement.

The surveillance was revealed by NBC New York in September 2016 after its I-Team obtained an internal report from the Strategic Intelligence Unit, a joint intelligence based operation of the Clarkstown Police and the county DA.

The Strategic Intelligence Unit was created in early 2015. It is at the center of intense fighting between Clarkstown's suspended police chief Michael Sullivan, a police sergeant who ran the SIU until his suspension and retirement, the DA, the Clarkstown Town Board, and the Rockland County Legislature. Town officials allege the SIU engaged in investigation and surveillance of political foes including a local judge, the county sheriff and a town councilman.

One of the ostensible reasons for the surveillance of the black community group was because members of We The People produced and sold tickets to a local production of a play called "A Clean Shoot?" about a white police officer shooting a black undercover cop.

At first, Sullivan and Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe told NBC reporters there had not been any criminal history background checks done on any of the group's members. "You need a reason to do that," Sullivan told the I-Team on the air.

Later, they said that because the word "shoot" in the play's title was a trigger, the SIU had cast a "safety net" to protect We The People and a local Black Lives Matter group from potential threats.

According to NBC New York, the settlement covers all claims for damages, costs and fees but there is no admission of wrongdoing on the part of the town. With the money, the plaintiffs have donated $20,000 to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Spring Valley, where the We The People group often meets to plan and hold community events, the news station reported.

The chief is running against incumbent George Hoehmann in this year's election for Clarkstown Town Supervisor. Hoehmann has alleged that he was one of the surveillance targets of the SIU.

RELATED:

• Clarkstown Police Sgt. Sues Town Officials: News Report
• Details Emerge About Rockland Strategic Intelligence Unit
• New Details Emerge About Clarkstown Surveillance of Black Groups
• Hearing Officer Finds Clarkstown Police Chief Guilty On Cellphone Wipe Charges; Others Dismissed
• Lawmakers' Effort to Call Clarkstown Out over Suspended Police Chief Fails
• Suspended Clarkstown Police Chief to Run for Supervisor

PHOTO/ Clarkstown Police Department Annual Report: Strategic Intelligence Unit