Months after the summer protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of the Minneapolis police, independent reviews are wrapping up their investigations of the conduct — and misconduct — of police departments across the country.
Both the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Denver police department have released their reviews, with the overwhelming response being less than favorable, the New York Times and the Denverite report.
This news comes as hours of newly released bodycam footage from the Boston Police show anecdotal evidence of excessive force in the summer protests, according to prominent attorney Carl Williams, who is representing some of the protesters arrested as part of a lawsuit, according to The Appeal.
Advocates believe that this is the start of what will likely be similar reports emerging out of police departments across the country, and so the response to these findings and implementation of recommendations will be closely watched, says NBC News.
On Friday morning, the New York City’s Department of Investigation (DOI) released its 111-page report, with the overwhelming conclusion being that the NYPD did act with excessive force, in part because most officers involved did not receive the “relevant training” needed to patrol protests.
For many, the probe found that their last protest training was when the officers were still in the police academy, according to Politico.
The DOI report also found that officers were too focused on what they deemed to be “disorder control tactics” like forceful mass arrests, instead of de-escalation, Politico writes.
The report concludes that it was the actions of the NYPD and their brutality that has “heightened tensions” and caused division between citizens and law enforcement in New York City, NBC News details.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who mainly defended the NYPD’s response and actions over the summer, posted a seven-minute video on Twitter, saying that he agrees with the report, and apologized for his part of mishandling the protests.
“It makes [it] very clear we’ve got to do something different,” he said, as quoted by Politico. “I’m reflecting on what happened in May and June, and I look back with remorse. I wish I had done better.”
The Mayor concluded, “ I’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons. And I want our police department to do better. And I’m going to insist upon that.”
Despite his filmed apology and explicitly advocating for change, de Blasio said there were no plans for a ‘shakeup in police leadership,’ according to Politico.
Regardless, the probe of the NYPD by the Department of Investigation concluded their report with some recommendations, noting that:
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- A new Protest Response Unit should be established;
- A patrol policy guide should be published, outlining demonstrators’ rights;
- Precincts should reduce the role of the Strategic Response Group; and,
- The NYPD should limit the use of cops in riot gear.
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‘Unwarranted and Reckless Violence’
A report released early December by the Office of the Independent Monitor (OIM) in Denver found that there was a “problematic response to demonstrations” at the hands of the police, at times “violating its own policies and endangering people while leaving a scant paper trail,” the Denverite reports.
The OIM reviewed hundreds of hours of summer protest footage taken from body cameras, citizen cell footage, as well as reviewing audio from radio communications, interviews from officers at high and low ranks, and documentation from the police’s response tactics.
What resulted was a 69-page assessment, concluding that some officers used their weapons “recklessly” by striking journalists and bystanders — even if they posed no threat. Some of this weapon misuse included shooting people with pepper balls and pepper spray in retaliation for verbal objections to the police officers.
The watchdog reviewers also found that the police department was “not fully transparent” as body cameras often remained off. Out of the 150-200 officers working the demonstrations, only 38 officers had body camera footage to turn over. A big part of this discrepancy is the fact that the DPD also did not document who worked the first four days of the protests, making internal response more difficult in terms of review and reform, the report explains.
The lack of documentation doesn’t end there, the Denverite notes, as a “literal plane-load” of munitions and “less-lethal” tools was poorly logged, further throwing off the records of who received what weapons.
Independent Monitor Nick Mitchell, whose office watchdogs the city’s police and sheriff departments, found the results of this report “extremely troubling,” and said that the actions and behavior of the Denver Police department jeopardize the safety of citizens and fellow officers.
Because of this, Mitchell recommended reforms for the Denver Police department, and police departments in general, noting that they should:
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- Ban rubber-ball grenades in crowds and only allow pepper-ball guns to be used when an officer’s safety is threatened;
- Require all ranks to wear body cameras, and check to ensure they’re recording;
- Require and track paperwork at all steps on the job; and,
- Release reports to the public to be transparent on how crowd-control operations are done.
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Bodycam Footage ‘Incredibly Troubling’
Boston Police Commissioner William G. Gross announced Friday that a Sergeant in the Department would be placed on administrative leave after the online news outlet The Appeal published 44 videos making over 66 hours of body camera footage showing how officers handled the crowds during this summer’s protests.
A total of 53 people were arrested, 18 bystanders were hospitalized and nine officers were treated for injuries in the June 1 incident with more over the course of the summer protests, Boston.com reported.
Some of the video clips The Appeal published in question show officers yelling and threatening demonstrators with profane language, as well as getting physical by shoving protesters to the ground with batons before pepper-spraying them. One of the clips described by attorney Carl Williams shows an officer recounting to a colleague that he hit several protesters with his police vehicle when it was surrounded.
The colleague interrupts the officer, and reminds him to be careful with what he says considering his body camera was recording their conversation
“As soon as these videos were brought to my attention, I immediately ordered my Bureau of Professional Standards to open and conduct a thorough and fair investigation into this matter, and the totality of circumstances involved,” said Boston Police Commissioner William G. Gross in a statement on Friday.
“I have placed a Sergeant involved in this incident on administrative leave and I will take any additional action as necessary at the conclusion of the investigation,” Gross concluded, as quoted by NBC News.
Advocates and lawmakers are anxiously awaiting the investigative results out of Boston, NBC notes.
The full NYPD probe by the Department of Investigation can be accessed here.
The full Denver Police Independent Monitor report can be accessed here.
Andrea Cipriano is a TCR staff writer.