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.
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.
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.
The state doesn’t publicize officer employment histories, making it impossible to track so-called wandering officers.