$115 million spent on NYPD misconduct cases in 2023: advocates

NEW YORK (PIX11) – New York City spent nearly $115 million settling NYPD misconduct cases in 2023, according to The Legal Aid Society. 

Over the last six years, taxpayers have spent about $550 million on misconduct lawsuit payouts, according to the nonprofit organization. 

“The staggering amount of money taxpayers have to foot each year to cover alleged NYPD misconduct truly shocks the conscience, and this should enrage all New Yorkers,” said Jennvine Wong, a staff attorney at The Legal Aid Society.

The $114,586,723 covers 801 lawsuits with a median payout of $25,000 – but some reached over $3 million, according to The Legal Aid Society. 

A spokesperson for the city’s Law Department said the city has recently seen an increase in reverse conviction cases, which contributed to the high expenditure. 

“The City has experienced an increase in reverse conviction cases stemming from incidents going as far back as the 1980s and 1990s.  Expeditious settlement of these cases avoids the risk of protracted and costlier litigation and provides some justice to people wrongfully convicted.”

One such case was particularly costly for the department. It involved Jawaun Fraser, who spent two years “wrongfully incarcerated” on a bogus robbery charge, according to Legal Aid.

Fraser was arrested in 2014 but his case settled in June 2023 to the tune of $3.67 million, according to Legal Aid.

Last year’s misconduct cases were actually cheaper than the year before by about $20 million – but for years before, that total had not broken $100 million. 

“Rather than investing into public services and social safety nets, taxpayers are continually forced to cover the costs of violent policing,” Wong said.