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.
New York State troopers used the badge to settle personal scores and elicit favors. Still, they remained on the job, an investigation found.
The investigator, who did not believe the teen, faced little punishment, illustrating the different ways that officers in New York State are disciplined for misconduct.
The New York Times and New York Focus gathered thousands of files from around half of New York State’s nearly 500 law enforcement agencies.
Officers in New York State crashed their official vehicles, hit other motorists and arrived to work reeking of alcohol. And yet, they sometimes evaded criminal punishment, an investigation found.
The state doesn’t publicize officer employment histories, making it impossible to track so-called wandering officers.
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.
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.