(The Center Square) — New York is a national “hotspot” for police misconduct settlements, with more than $1 billion in reported payouts over the past 14 years, according to a new report.
The report, based on the National Police Funding Database, shows that New York had the second-highest number of police misconduct cases from October 2009 to July 2023, with 16 cases averaging more than $72 million per case.
That’s the largest average among states for which data was available, including California, which topped the nation for the number of police misconduct settlements, according to the report.
Experts at High Rise Financial, a pre-settlement legal funding company, analyzed data on police misconduct settlements. California reported the highest number of police misconduct cases at 29, with more than $332 million in financial settlements, averaging $11.8 million per case.
Illinois was ranked 3rd with 15 cases of police misconduct over the 14-year period. The state paid out $330,105,000, averaging $22,007,000 per case, the report authors said.
Kansas, Maine and Utah had the lowest number of settlements, they noted.
Nationally, 214 police misconduct cases were reported over the 14-year period, each resulting in an average payout of more than $6.4 million, according to the report.
“While these findings are concerning, they can catalyze reform and improved police-community relations,” High Rise Financial said in a statement accompanying the report. “By prioritizing accountability and fostering trust, we can work towards a safer and fairer future for all. It’s essential that Americans continue to flag instances of misconduct so that the police are held responsible for their actions.”
The report’s findings are similar to an analysis released earlier this year by The Legal Aid Society, which revealed that New York City is the epicenter of the state’s police misconduct payouts, with more than $500 million in settlements over the past six years, including nearly $115 million in 2023.
The payout has more than doubled during that period, increasing from an average of $10,500 in 2018 to $25,000 last year, the group said.
“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,” Jennvine Wong, a staff attorney with the group, said in a statement. “Rather than investing into public services and social safety nets, taxpayers are continually forced to cover the costs of violent policing.”
The data on misconduct payouts doesn’t account for all settlements and the totals are likely to be “substantially higher” because the data doesn’t include cases settled by the city before a lawsuit was filed, the group said.
Meanwhile, complaints against NYPD officers are rising, according to a recent report from the Civilian Complaint Review Board, a city oversight agency. Last year, the board said it received 5,550 complaints — the highest amount in a decade and a 50% increase from the 3,700 cases it fielded in the preceding year, according to the report.
