The Impact of Police Misconduct in Kings County on New York City\u27s Civil Liability 2006-2010

Abstract

The confluence of police misconduct and civil liability is an issue of growing concern for many communities throughout the U.S. today. The gravamen of the issue is evident in increases in the number of lawsuits alleging police misconduct and the civil liability that results from these lawsuits. In New York City during the period 1997-2005 the cost for police misconduct went from $27.9 million in 1997 to$40.4 million in 2005 (Thompson, 2007). Concerns over these increases have resulted in efforts to curb both the number of lawsuits brought against the New York Police Department and the civil liability to the City that results from these lawsuits. The study examines and describes the impact of allegations of police misconduct in Kings County during the years 2006-2010 on New York City\u27s civil liability. Using allegations of police misconduct in lawsuits that resulted in a settlement or jury award as a measure of police misconduct, the study provides evidence of the increasing costs of police misconduct in Kings County, New York. The study found that the increasing financial impact that police misconduct had on the City during the years studied was not the result of the increasing costs of settlements and jury awards per se but rather the increase in the number of lawsuits vis-à -vis the increase in the incidence of police misconduct