Accountability and transparency are important to preventing corruption in law enforcement. Until recently in New York, as well as in many other states, misconduct records in personnel files were not available to the public. However, state lawmakers repealed the law...
If you drink and drive, you could face severe consequences for this crime. For example, you may have to spend time in jail, pay a significant fine and perform community service. Another consequence of drinking and driving in New York is the requirement to use an...
It seems there is a new story every week about law enforcement having run-ins with individuals and drawing their guns. These stories often result in a shooting death. Some recent cases have brought about outrage due to the senseless nature of the situation. It also...
When New York police arrive at the scene of a crime where no suspect is in sight, they must begin an intense and detailed investigation to find and gather clues and evidence that will lead them to the perpetrator. If that evidence led police to your door, you have a...
If your criminal case goes to trial, your attorney and the opposing counsel will have to gather evidence to support their respective cases. The law has strict rules regarding what types of information the courts can allow as evidence. One type of information that...
New York Penal Code Section 176 deals with insurance fraud. For example, health insurance fraud is significant and a headache to the government. However, people run afoul of all kinds of laws, sometimes inadvertently, and in terms of insurance fraud, a felony is more...
Police misconduct and brutality are grim encounters where the law oversteps its authority, but the problem might go deeper. Efforts to reduce these encounters or reform police culture represent a constant battle between communities and their law enforcement. According...
Starting in March 2022, New York state law will prohibit correctional facilities from isolating inmates for more than 15 days. The bill, signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo on April 1, 2021, comes after years of activism aimed at ending solitary confinement in the state....
Your rights may never be more valuable to you than when you are under arrest. Suddenly, every word you say sparks suspicion. Police may even record your conversation with them. Civil rights advocates agree that the best thing to do when police question you is to...
The protests against police brutality in New York City generated their own conflict and controversy. This centered on allegations by various parties against the NYPD for mishandling security for the demonstrations. The investigations into police misconduct face a...