Text/Li Zhongdong
In order to complete the work quota, the New York City police in the United States issued summonses indiscriminately. Some innocent residents have filed class-action lawsuits alleging unfair enforcement. On January 23 this year, the New York City Manhattan court ruled that New York City must pay a total of US$75 million in this case, including US$56.5 million in compensation for the "arbitrarily fined" people and US$18.5 million in litigation costs.
"Willfully" issue criminal summons
The United States is a veritable police state. The police are not only everywhere, but they are so powerful that they have to take care of every detail. The American people have long been accustomed to police intervention. According to U.S. law, police can issue summonses for minor crimes and traffic violations, with each summons carrying a maximum fine of $150.
However, from 2007 to 2015, many residents received "inexplicable" summonses issued by the New York Police Department. Due to "lack of evidence" and the police's inability to explain the specific reasons for issuing subpoenas, a total of 900,000 subpoenas were dismissed by the court, accounting for 25% of the total number of subpoenas issued. Strikingly, accusations that police view ethnic minorities “through tinted glasses” are on the rise.
In 2010, 19-year-old African-American Sherif Stinson was stopped by the police twice near a relative's home and received a summons for "improper conduct." The so-called "reason" given by the police who issued the subpoena was that Stinson said some very obscene things, but could not explain what he said. Ultimately, the two subpoenas were dismissed by the court.
In 2010, people who received "unfair subpoenas" filed a lawsuit against the New York City Police Department in Manhattan Court, accusing the police of ignoring objective facts and issuing subpoenas "arbitrarily." After a seven-year trial, a Manhattan court finally ruled on January 23 that New York City must pay a huge fine. The prosecution lawyer pointed out that this case is the largest class action lawsuit in New York City so far accusing the police of illegal law enforcement. During the trial, two New York police officers alleged that superiors forced them to fulfill summons quotas. However, the New York police denied it.
According to the ruling, New York City authorities can pay up to $150 in damages for each rejected summons. At the same time, New York City authorities ordered the police department to cancel the "summons quota" and not set quotas for police officers to issue summonses or complete arrest tasks. In addition, it is stipulated that when the police discover minor violations, they must issue tickets for "violating the quality of life" to the relevant personnel. If a criminal subpoena needs to be issued, the police must fill in more detailed information to explain the specific reasons to prevent random issuance of subpoenas.
Modify the Wikipedia entry
In July 2014, several New York police officers suspected that the 43-year-old black hawker Garner was selling untaxed cigarettes while performing official duties in Staten Island . During the arrest, a policeman used his arm to Garner, who is obese and suffers from asthma, kept saying "I can't breathe" before losing consciousness. After Garner was taken to the hospital, doctors pronounced him dead from a heart attack.
On December 3, 2014, just hours after a Staten Island grand jury announced that it would not indict the white police officer who choked Garner, NYPD computers changed the Wikipedia article "Garner's Death" about Garner and the officers involved. behavior and many other things. For example, "Garner raised his arms" was changed to "Garner shouted and waved his arms", "The use of chokeholds is prohibited" was changed to "The use of chokeholds is legal, but has been banned" and so on.
Since the shooting of African-American young man Brown in Ferguson in the summer of 2014 and the Garner case in New York, the relationship between the police and the public in the United States has been greatly tense. On December 20, two New York police officers were shot to death "execution-style." At that time, the 28-year-old African-American gunman Ismaai Brinsley suddenly appeared next to the patrol car they were riding in. Without warning, he took out a silver semi-automatic pistol and shot at close range. Brinsley had previously left a message on a social networking site, saying he would shoot two "pigs" to avenge the death of Garner, an African-American vendor.
Wikipedia allows anyone to modify relevant entries, but when doing so anonymously, the IP address of the modifier will be recorded, leaving a public editing record.NYPD computers were traced to being used multiple times to edit Wikipedia's details of alleged police brutality, as well as to edit NYPD scandals, stop-and-frisks, and prominent figures in New York politics and police circles. It is said that 85 IP addresses from the New York Police Department have edited Wikipedia, but it is unclear how many users are there. An NYPD spokesman said the incident is under internal investigation.
High-ranking officials, wealthy businessmen colluded
On June 20, 2016, New York Police Deputy Commissioner Michael Harrington and Upper East Side Bureau Chief James Grant were arrested on suspicion of crimes with Brooklyn jeweler Jeremy Reichberg. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said in a statement that Reichberg and his business partner, real estate developer Jonah Rechnitz, received "private police services" provided by Harrington and Grant from 2012 to 2015. ". Rechnitz has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with the prosecutor's investigation. Harrington and Grant are suspected of providing police escort services for Rechnitz and Reichberg, deploying extra security police when attending religious events, and implementing so-called "traffic control" in the Lincoln Tunnel, creating a dedicated lane known as the "King of Jewels." driveway. He used police resources to help the two businessmen investigate private affairs, recover jewelry for Reichberg, and obtain a gun license. After
provided "private" police services to wealthy businessmen, Harrington and Grant took advantage of the opportunity to reap huge benefits. Grant used Reichberg's connections to gain internal promotions and privately secured a business worth tens of thousands of dollars for a security company through the connections of wealthy businessmen. In February 2013, Grant took a private plane provided by Reichberg to watch the American Football Super Bowl in Las Vegas. The trip cost nearly $60,000. Reichberg also arranged for a call girl to provide him with pornography on the plane. Serve. In August 2013, Grant and his family stayed at a luxury hotel while on vacation in Rome, Italy. The suite fee was US$500 per night, all of which was "reimbursed" by Rechnitz; Rechnitz also bought a US$3,000 watch for Grant and spent Money to renovate his house. Grant ate at high-end restaurants in Manhattan once or twice almost every week for a year and a half, and all the meal expenses were "reimbursed" by wealthy businessmen. Grant's wife received $1,000 worth of jewelry given by Reichberg.
Prosecutor Preet Bharara pointed out: "If convicted of corruption charges, Harrington, Grant and Reichberg will each face up to 20 years in prison."
Illegal issuance of gun licenses
With the New York Police Department corruption scandal As the situation continues to unfold, multiple current and former police officers have become involved, including Brooklyn South Street Division Chief Eric Rodriguez and retired Chief Superintendent Phillip Banks. Michael Emery, a police officer in charge of the highway system who was under investigation for corruption, shot himself in May. Earlier, internal police investigators raided Emery's force and took away about two years' worth of police convoy records.
Two senior police officers in charge of firearms licensing, David Villanueva and his deputy Richard Ochito, are also involved in the corruption scandal. They are suspected of helping people speed up the gun permit approval process after receiving benefits such as cash and gifts. Their accomplice was businessman Alex Lichtenstein, who typically charged clients $6,000 to speed up the gun permit approval process. Villanueva and Ocher Tol were entrusted by Lichtenstein to approve applicants who had been arrested, had "conviction records" such as domestic violence, or had a history of mental illness in approving gun licenses. The firearms license approval process generally takes one year, but can be shortened to two months or even less if the relevant police officers are bribed. Lichtenstein admitted that he had engaged in this kind of business more than 150 times.
After Villanueva’s corruption scandal came to light, the New York Police Department investigated approximately 260 gun licenses suspected of illegal operations and revoked 79 of them. At present, Ocher Tol has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with the prosecutor's investigation. If convicted of relevant charges, Villanueva and Ocher Tol will serve 15 years in prison, while Lichtenstein faces up to 25 years in prison.
A high-ranking New York City police officer who had been questioned in connection with a police corruption case was found dead by suicide on Friday.
Internal supervision has had little effect
New York Police Chief William Bratton said that the investigation into corruption involving internal police officers is not over, and will continue to work with colleagues in law enforcement to investigate the details needed for the case. "Whether you are an ordinary police officer or a senior leader, as long as you break the law, you will be dealt with the same way. Senior police officers are involved in corruption, which surprises me. They will bear very serious consequences." New York Mayor Bill Deb Lacio emphasized, "Corruption scandals not only tarnish the reputation of the police force, but also bring risks to New York's security."
As early as November 2011, 16 police officers in the New York Police Department were accused of long-term corruption. Among them was a police deputy captain. Their charges include perjury, bribery and malfeasance. Among the police officers accused by the prosecutor, 7 deliberately framed others in order to fulfill the arrest quota, 8 smuggled guns, and 1 deliberately arrested the wrong person for personal gain.
The constant exposure of scandals has shaken public trust in the New York Police Department. Public opinion has also accused the police of only supervising others instead of strictly restraining themselves, and the internal supervision they have made has had little effect.
The New York Police Department was established in 1845 and is the largest police department in the United States. It is responsible for the police deployment and case investigation in the five districts of New York City. There are currently more than 50,000 police officers, 655 of whom are assigned to the Internal Affairs Investigation Service, a watchdog agency that curbs corruption within police departments. It governs the conduct and conduct of every member of the NYPD, whether they are uniformed officers or civilian personnel, both on and off duty. The Internal Affairs Department is open year-round to receive any complaints from the public.
"The mission of the Internal Affairs Bureau is to ensure the highest standards of integrity and to effectively curb corruption by analyzing allegations and trends and conducting comprehensive investigations to urge officers to fulfill the NYPD's motto of 'loyalty until death'." Charles Campisi, who is in charge of the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Investigation Division, said in an interview with the media, “The NYPD’s Internal Affairs Investigation Division works closely with local prosecutors, whether they are state or federal prosecutors.”
But according to " The New York Times reported that in previous investigations of police corruption cases such as this, the agency often provided useless assistance. The outside world began to question the necessity of the existence of this regulatory agency within the police department. The low salary of new police officers has led to low police morale and low work enthusiasm. The conservative style and bureaucracy of the Police Internal Affairs Investigation Bureau are all the root causes of police corruption.
