![]() “If there’s never been a finding of guilt or anyone’s fault, why put that in an officer’s record?” Pasco said. Because of this there is no reason to hold officers accountable for them, said Jim Pasco, executive director of the National Fraternal Order of Police, the nation’s largest police labor union with more than 364,000 members. And settlements rarely involve an admission or finding of wrongdoing. “When you have officers who have repeated allegations … it calls for extremely close examination of both the individual cases and the totality of the cases to figure out what’s driving this behavior and these reactions and to see if there is a pattern in an officer’s behavior that triggers these cases.”ĭefenders of police have a different view.Ĭity officials and attorneys representing the police departments said settling claims is often more cost-efficient than fighting them in court. “Transparency is what needs to be in place,” said Frank Straub, director of the National Police Foundation’s Center for Mass Violence Response Studies, adding that his organization has called for departments nationwide to publicize cases with settlements. In 2020, the 25 departments employed 103,000 officers combined, records show. The Post analysis found that the typical payout for cases involving officers with multiple claims - ranging from illegal search and seizure to use of excessive force - was $10,000 higher than those involving other officers.ĭespite the repetition and cost, few cities or counties track claims by the names of the officers involved - meaning that officials may be unaware of officers whose alleged misconduct is repeatedly costing taxpayers. Response from the police department: “We will decline to comment on civil litigations,” said Miguel Torres, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Police Department. For example, in Chicago, officers who were subject to more than one paid claim accounted for more than $380 million of the nearly $528 million in payments. In some cities, officers repeatedly named in misconduct claims accounted for an even larger share. ![]() The repetition is the hidden cost of alleged misconduct: Officers whose conduct was at issue in more than one payment accounted for more than $1.5 billion, or nearly half of the money spent by the departments to resolve allegations, The Post found. The Post found that more than 1,200 officers in the departments surveyed had been the subject of at least five payments. The total amounts further confirm the broad costs associated with police misconduct, as reported last year by FiveThirtyEight and the Marshall Project. Court records were gathered for the claims that led to federal or local lawsuits. ![]() Data were assembled from public records filed with the financial and police departments in each city or county and excluded payments less than $1,000. The investigation for the first time identifies the officers behind the payments. The Post's Keith Alexander discusses the investigation. It was his neighbor’s.Īn examination of policing in America amid the push for reform.įour Post journalists answer questions from readers about policing and police reform. Murray noticed something else: The address listed wasn’t his. One handed him a copy of the search warrant, which stated they were looking for illegal drugs. Outside, Murray approached the officers standing by their vehicles. Officers searched Murray’s home for nearly an hour, flipping his sofa and emptying drawers. Keno’s barking, the 56-year-old recalled, morphed into the sound of “a girl screaming.” As Murray let the officers in, one quickly pushed him to the floor and at least two others ran to the cellar, he said. As he turned off the final light in the living room, he glanced out of his window and saw a half-dozen uniformed police officers with guns drawn approach his home.Īs the officers banged on the door, Murray ordered Keno, his black Labrador retriever, to the basement. About 8:30 one Thursday evening in Detroit, Tony Murray was getting ready for bed ahead of his 6 a.m.
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