Last night family members who have lost loved ones to the NYPD over the last twenty years had an important and substantive meeting with the new Inspector General, Philip Eure. During the meeting, these families, all of whom are Black or Latino, described the ways in which the officers who killed their relatives broke protocol and/or the law, the problematic departmental investigations that followed, and the lack of accountability and discipline of those responsible for the killings.
We and the families we work with feel strongly that the IG should investigate the NYPD's use of excessive and deadly force and its disciplinary procedures - or lack there of - in these cases. The IG told us his office is currently assessing priorities and he could not say definitively whether such a review would be conducted at this time. However, he did say his office is looking into some excessive force issues. The families felt the meeting was productive and hope to continue a open dialogue with the IG's office moving forward. It is our strong hope that the IG will prioritize an investigation into NYPD killings, as we believe a report on findings from it would shed light on why the NYPD continues to unjustly kill Black and Latino New Yorkers, as well as the dire need for real systemic change in the Department.
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