Report: NY Police Department never defined ‘excessive force’
The New York Police Department fails to give its officers clear-cut guidelines on what constitutes excessive force and often declines to discipline them when they cross the line, according to a report released Thursday.
A rulebook for the nation’s largest police department “is completely silent on what actions constitute ‘force,'” said the report by Inspector General Philip Eure. The rules prohibit excessive force “while offering no clarity on what constitutes ‘excessive force,'” it added.
An analysis by Eure’s office also found that from 2010 through 2014, the NYPD opted not to punish officers in 37 of 104 cases where there was evidence of excessive force.
“In a number of cases, the department has failed to meet its fundamental obligation to police itself,” the report said.