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The law says that the public has a right to New York’s police misconduct files. “Behind the Badge,” a New York-based reporting project, is fighting to make that happen.
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Previously unreleased disciplinary files expose officers who beat, slap, and pepper spray the residents they’re supposed to protect. Most are back at work within a month.
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The police chief in Orange County’s Village of Chester claimed his department had no misconduct records. He was hiding an investigation into his own alleged malfeasance.
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The state doesn’t publicize officer employment histories, making it impossible to track so-called wandering officers.