7/28/2019 Law Enforcement Policy Oversight Exacts Taxpayer Expense

1/2

By DAMON K. JONES

Prbles wh plceabsg her ahr- are hg ew,hgh he reqelg kw he

pblc. Tere s plce deparee allegas excessve

rce r scdc. Te Dsrc A-res fce has red her backwhle hse he rce e badgeher rder cver her cres,seeg a lle abse as par r he crse.B whe hese cres are dscvered,he e lead lawss. Whe he

ske clears, hese lawss, jdgesad selees lael ce he axpaers pckes.

Tere s a gg h haever laws agas he plce eds a ll dllar l checks r hepla; hs cld be rher r

he rh. ma lawss rarel resl bg cash pas; he are ver dfcl w. Tse ha d w large pas

are a ver sall perceage.

t hs dae, here are reprs hw cvl lawss plce bralaec he axpaers Wescheser. Ac-crdg a 2012 repr r nyCsCprllers fce, he c pad $185.6 ll clas r scal ear2011. Tas a 35% crease ver he

prevs ear, whch cae a $137.3ll seled clas. Fscal ear2011 saw a hsrcal hgh 8,882clas led agas he nyPD, wh a55% rse clas agas he nyPDver he pas ve ears.

Wh have lawss creased

agas plce? ma c lawers blaea lgs asphere ha akes -cpal gveres a eas arge rlawss. Law ercee press-als sa ha rzed plce parl hasake he ha aspec plcgad has creaed a barrer bewee plce

ad czes. Secd, vave plcedepares p less vave plce

depares a a hgher rsk r cvllga b prvg plce echl-g r pleeg re resrcveplce plces Trd, plce sse rce prbles ha have alwas exsedare all beg brgh he pb-lcs ae hrgh eda srces.Fall, a jres are dg plcebral charges re c adeaser beleve.

i Wescheser, was alwashgh ha plce bral was al-s -exse r was js -al ccrreces. Sce he shg m. Ver Deecve ChrspherRdle; plce perceps, racs, br-

al ad scdc has cvered her pages lcal papers ad blgs Wescheser.

As a law ercee pressal,s dersadable se rce wheecessar. B whe law erceepressals g abve ad bed he

rce eeded, s deed a breach Continued on page 11

POLICING

Law Enforcement Policy Oversight Exacts Taxpayer Expense

http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/bla/pdf/2012_Claims_Report.pdfhttp://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/bla/pdf/2012_Claims_Report.pdf

7/28/2019 Law Enforcement Policy Oversight Exacts Taxpayer Expense

2/2

Page 11THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2013

POLICING

plc, prcedre ad rag ad se cases acral ac. A Law Ercee Pressal has cered b a sae wh Peace ofcer Sas adges a c ad abses hs/her ahr- s less ha a cral heselves. Te have

vlaed her depares plc ad prcedre adhe have red her back he Law Erceeoah phld he law.

Here Wescheser, here have bee vde, a-

d ad eewess accs plce bral whleplce aagee s sll deal. isead ad-dressg he prble wll d a plcedepares; aagee s re wrred abvesgag hw he pssble plce cre leaked he pbc sead crrecg he prble dscplg he fcer r fcers vlved.

S wh are hese fcers allwed cewrkg aer he have prve ha he are wrh he pblcs rs? Te reas s clralad plcal. Frs, a law ercee aage-e rs ad vales are red b he s-

al clre plcg. Te Police Culture hasers a us versus them eal. Te cps arehe gd gs ad evere else s a peal badg. Wheher r he persall cde a -cers behavr, r he behavr vlaes deparesplc, he raalze hs behavr wh r p-she ad he prble s ever reslved. Secd,eleced fcals are scared pass he ecessar leg-sla becase ear beg labeled A-Cpb plce s whe ces e r elecs.

i real, hese css gvere are a -prdcve se axpaer dllars. ma cpal-

es Wescheser wld be beer sg herprecs ax dllars ch-eeded pblc servcessch as edca, law ercee eqpe,healh care ad rad repars.

urael, ca g a cpal- Wescheser ad wll d repea ed-ers he rak ad le. ma fcers d her wrk

wh prde ad dg. B fcers gd sadgacs are alwas qesed whe plce aage-es, plcas ad lawakers have aled hldhse accable wh are kw have seppedver he le lple ccass.

Se he s rece research cvl ssad he plce dcaes ha he pleea c reed plcg (CoP) plces adprgras plce depares ca ece heber cvl ss led agas he plce. Te sdals d hse depares ha becae c-ed c-reed plcg hrgh headp CoP plces ad prgras, lawss de-cled, sehg ha plce aagee has aled d Wescheser.

oe wld hk ha he srge plce-s-cdc allegas ad cvl-rghs clas agasplce depares, a bdgear srapped c lkem. Ver ver 900 hsad legal ees ad jdg-es r onE fcer wld be a alar bell r heeleced fcals ad plce aagee Wesches-er. urael, rgazas lke he WescheserC Che Plce Assca, he Dsrc A-res ofce ad r Wescheser eleced fcalshave bee sle he sse crrecg hs g-g epdec Wescheser C. Ts s a redha s lael pad b he axpaer ad s beseed ad reversed wh beer rsk aageecldg rag wh lcal sad sae versgh.

B alg crrec he prbles he ss-e law ercee Wescheser C.

Weschesers plcas are alg her dcar re-spsbl he axpaers. As he axpaers ages,

Wescheser plcas shld be esablshg prperlaw ercee versgh legsla ha wll creaechecks ad balaces r prec he axpaer adhe law ercee fcer.

is eleear; s he eleced fcals wh hrePlce Cssers wh are ver he law erce-e fcers ad her val ps as gaekeepers he cral jsce sse. Te eleced fcal adhe Csser are c-jed a he hp ake perave ha ebers he pblc have rs haher depares egr wh prper versgh,prper rag, prg psve behavr, esregreaer accabl, ad deer alpracce. Eher

we pa he r ed beg pracve r we pa a he back ed ll selees ad

jdges r axpaer dllars.

Damon K. Jones is the New York Representative o Blacks In Law Enorcement o America.

Law Enforcement Policy Oversight Exacts Taxpayer ExpenseContinued rom page 10