Complaints against police largely kept secret, but there are calls to change that
Some officers who killed had many complaints
Citizen complaints against police across the U.S. are largely kept secret, either under the law or by union contract – a practice some criminal justice experts say deprives the public of information that could be used to root out problem officers.
In recent years, there have been dozens of examples of officers who had numerous complaints against them of excessive force, harassment or other misconduct before they were accused of killing someone on duty. Officer Derek Chauvin had more than a dozen misconduct complaints against him before he put his knee on George Floyd’s neck.
– Officer Derek Chauvin had more than a dozen misconduct complaints against him before he put his knee on George Floyd’s neck. Daniel Pantaleo, the New York City officer who seized Eric Garner in a deadly chokehold, had eight. Ryan Pownall, a Philadelphia officer facing murder charges in the shooting of David Jones, had 15 over five years.
But the public didn’t know about any of that until the victims’ deaths.
Citizen complaints against police across the U.S. are largely kept secret, either under the law or by union contract – a practice some criminal justice experts say deprives the public of information that could be used to root out problem officers before it’s too late.
In recent years, there have been dozens of examples of officers who had numerous complaints against them of excessive force, harassment or other misconduct before they were accused of killing someone on duty.
Confidentiality “makes it really tough for the public to know just who it is they are dealing with and to know whether their department or any particular officer is one they would want out in the streets,” said David Harris, a University of Pittsburgh law professor who studies police behavior.
While the U.S. considers ways to reform American policing following the sometimes violent protests that eruptilies ed nationwide over Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, complaint data is getting renewed attention as a way to track and correct rogue officers and perhaps head off more serious instances of brutality.
Both Democratic and Republican reform bills in Congress would make officers’ disciplinary records public and create a national database of allegations – a shift in political will that didn’t exist just a few years ago.
Police advocates argue that withholding allegations is necessary to protect officers’ privacy and keep them safe. Police unions have fought in contract negotiations and in state legislatures for confidentiality. In some cases, records are erased after two years.
“The unfettered release of police personnel records will allow unstable people to target police officers and our famPHILADELPHIA for harassment or worse,” said Patrick Lynch, head of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association in New York City. “A dangerous cop-hater only needs a police officer’s name, linked to a few false or frivolous complaints, to be inspired to commit violence.”
Police unions argue, too, that the overwhelming majority of complaints are deemed unsubstantiated after investigations.
But that argument carries no weight with activists who say police departments protect their own.
Out of about 5,000 complaints brought against New York City officers last year for offenses such as discourtesy, excessive force and abuse of authority, 24% were substantiated, according to the city’s independent Civilian Complaint Review Board.