New York Civil Rights And Criminal Defense Lawyers

Police Misconduct

The cost of police misconduct and lack of accountability

Police misconduct has been a pressing issue in New York, with cases ranging from excessive use of force to racial profiling and even sexual assault. While these incidents can devastate the victims and their families, they also have a hefty price tag for cities and taxpayers. Police misconduct costs cities millions of dollars yearly in legal fees, settlements and judgments. Legal fees One of the primary costs of police misconduct is legal fees. When a citizen files a lawsuit against the police department, the city is responsible for providing legal representation for the accused officer....

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Congress passes bipartisan police reform bill

The New York City Police Department has been involved in more than its fair share of brutality and excessive force scandals over the years, but none of them prompted the same kind of national outrage as the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020. That incident sparked a nationwide wave of protests, and it also gave lawmakers the political capital they needed to push a police reform bill through a divided Congress. De-escalation training The bipartisan bill was passed by the House of Representatives on Dec. 14. When it is signed into law by President Joe Biden, it...

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Subtle ways, besides police brutality, racism kills in New York

In 2020, the killing of George Floyd raised awareness of police brutality against people of different races. The uproar from citizens across America and the rest of the world forced the government to address the issue much faster and in a more sensible way. However, while police brutality is one form of racism against minorities, there are many other, less conspicuous ways racism kills people as well in New York. Other ways racism manifests It's a disheartening fact that individuals within minority groups disproportionately suffer higher mortality rates in comparison to the general...

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Police misconduct is a leading cause of wrongful convictions

Police misconduct is a leading cause of wrongful convictions in New York and across the country, according to a 2020 study. The research was conducted by the National Registry of Exonerations, a project that collects data on wrongful convictions to prevent future cases of injustice. Police misconduct For the study, researchers analyzed 2,400 convictions of defendants who were later exonerated over a period of three decades. They found that 35% of cases involved some sort of police misconduct, such as falsifying evidence, witness tampering or violent interrogations. More than half involved...

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Police killings in New York and why people don’t report them

Police brutality is a problem that has been around for many years. However, it seems to be evolving as time goes on. There have been several high-profile police killings in the past few years, but many more that have not been reported. How do police killings occur? There are a variety of ways police killings can occur, and one of the most common is through the use of excessive force. This can happen when police officers are trying to subdue a suspect, and they end up using more force than necessary. In some cases, police officers may also shoot and kill suspects who are unarmed or pose no...

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What is the psychology behind police brutality?

Police misconduct and brutality is a common problem in New York. Sadly, it’s often directed at people of color, who are not treated the same way as those who are white. Here is how to understand the psychology behind the matter. How police brutality impacts Black people For years, police brutality has shown its ugly face against people of color (POC), especially those who are Black. Two notable cases involved George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who were both killed by police in 2020. George Floyd was killed after an officer knelt on his neck for over nine minutes. Floyd pleaded and said he...

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Issues disabled people deal with while in contact with the police

Getting pulled over by the police in New York is a stressful time for anyone. Unfortunately, this stressful situation is often worse for disabled individuals. In some cases, law enforcement can misread someone's disability as criminal behavior. Disabled people could be accused of a crime, such as DUI or resisting arrest, that they did not commit. Difficulty hearing law enforcement's commands Many civil rights or police misconduct matters involve commands given to civilians. If someone is deaf, these people won't be able to hear an officer's commands. Similar situations happen when a disabled...

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New York justice reforms could affect civil rights cases

Since the death of George Floyd more than two years ago and the subsequent arrest and conviction of the police officers responsible for the incident, the New York state legislature has enacted several bills that protect the civil rights of those arrested in the state. In addition, New York's governor has signed several executive orders that may also help those unlawfully detained or abused by police. New York laws that could help your civil rights case One of the most significant state laws affecting police misconduct cases involves the disclosure of police disciplinary records in certain...

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What to know about filming police activity

Police bear a commitment to serve and protect. Nonetheless, some of them violate our rights. When law enforcement brutality occurs, Americans suffer at the hands of government officials. We must stop this injustice. One method of fighting back against police misconduct is by filming. The video we capture can play a vital role in holding authorities accountable. The freedom to film police Every citizen has a First Amendment right that allows making movies in public. Should you be in the presence of an officer abusing someone, hit record. If you are the one in handcuffs, ask a passerby to...

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Important statistics about excessive use of force by police

The excessive and lethal use of force by law enforcement has been a concern for many decades. However, the mainstream conversations about this topic sometimes fail to capture the severity of the problem. Many studies and data paint a worrying picture about police use of force in the United States. Here are some statistics that all people should know. Most police departments decline to share data Many advocates of criminal justice and police reform would argue that accurate and complete data is essential to understanding and addressing the problem of excessive use of force. Unfortunately,...

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