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| New York City Police Department | |
| |
| Fidelis ad Mortem | |
| Established | 1845 |
| Jurisdiction | Municipal |
| Sworn | 36,127 (11/2007) |
| Stations | 76 |
| Police boats | 9 |
| Helicopters | 7 |
| Chief | Joseph Esposito |
| Commissioner | Raymond W. Kelly |
| Website | Official Site |
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), which was established in 1845, is currently the largest police force in North America, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. The NYPD is considered to be one of the first "modern" style police departments in the United States along with the Boston Police Department. The NYPD has a broad array of specialized services, including tactical operations, K-9, harbor patrol, air support, bomb disposal, counter-terrorism, intelligence, anti-gang, narcotics, public transportation, and public housing. NYPD has extensive crime scene investigation and laboratory resources, as well as units which assist with computer crime investigations. The NYPD\'s headquarters houses an anticrime computer network, essentially a large search engine and data warehouse operated by detectives to assist officers in the field with their investigations.From database to crime scene According to the department, its mission is to "enforce the laws, preserve the peace, reduce fear, and provide for a safe environment."
The New York City Transit Police and Housing Police were fully integrated into the NYPD in 1995; Police officers are randomly assigned to the Transit and Housing units upon graduation of the police academy.{{}} Members of the NYPD are frequently referred to by the nickname New York\'s Finest. The NYPD is headquartered at One Police Plaza located on Park Row across the street from City Hall.
The size of the force has fluctuated, depending on crime rates, politics, and available funding. The overall trend, however, shows that the number of sworn officers is decreasing. In June 2004, there were about 40,000 sworn officers plus several thousand support staff; In June 2005, that number dropped to 35,000. As of November 2007, it had increased to slightly over 36,000 with the graduation of several classes from the Police Academy. The NYPD\'s current authorized uniformed strength is 37,838.http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/misc/pdfaq2.html#41 There are also an approximate 4,500 Auxiliary Police Officers, 5,000 School Safety Agents, 2,300 Traffic Agents, and 370 Traffic Agent Supervisors.
The New York City Police Department was established in 1845. At the time, New York City\'s population of 320,000 was served by an archaic force, consisting of one night watch, one hundred city marshals, thirty-one constables, and fifty-one police officers.Lankevich, George L. (1998). American Metropolis: A History of New York City. NYU Press, p. 84-85. ISBN 0814751865. Peter Cooper, at request of the Common Council, drew up a proposal to create a police force of 1,200 officers. John Watts de Peyster was an early advocate of implementing military style discipline and organization to the force.Randolph, Lewis Hamersly. Biographical Sketches of Distinguished Officers of the Army and Navy, pp 82-88. Henry E. Huntington Library: New York, 1905. The state legislature approved the proposal which authorized creation of a police force on May 7, 1844, along with abolition of the nightwatch system. Under Mayor William Havemeyer, the NYPD was reorganized on May 13, 1845, with the city divided into three districts, with courts, magistrates, and clerks, and station houses set up. The NYPD was closely modeled after the Metropolitan Police Service in London, which in turn used a military-like organizational structure, with rank and order.
In 1857, a new Metropolitan police force was established and the Municipal police abolished. The Metropolitan police bill consolidated the police in New York, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Westchester County (which then included The Bronx), under a governor-appointed board of commissioners.Fosdick, Raymond (1920). American Police Systems. The Century Co., p. 82. Mayor Fernando Wood and the Municipals, unwilling to be abolished, resisted for several months.
Throughout the years, the NYPD has been involved with a number of riots in New York City. In July 1863, the New York State Militias were absent to aid Union troops, when the 1863 Draft Riots broke out, leaving the police who were outnumbered to quell the riots.Schouler, James (1899). History of the United States of America, Under the Constitution. Dodd, Mead & Company, p. 418. The Tompkins Square Riot occurred on January 13, 1874 when police crushed a demonstration involving thousands of unemployed in Tompkins Square Park.Gordon, Michael Allen (1993). The Orange Riots: Irish Political Violence in New York City, 1870-1871. Cornell University Press, p. 203. Newspapers, including The New York Times, covered numerous cases of police brutality during the latter part of the 19th century. Cases often involved officers beating suspects and persons, using clubs, who were drunk or rowdy, posed a challenge to officers\' authority, or refused to move along down the street. Most cases of police brutality occurred in poor immigrant neighborhood, including Five Points, the Lower East Side, and Tenderloin.Johnson, Marilynn S. (2003). Street Justice: A History of Political Violence in New York City. Beacon Press, p. 12-41.
Beginning in the 1870s, politics and corruption of Tammany Hall, a political machine supported by Irish immigrants infiltrated the NYPD, which was used as political tool, with positions awarded by politicians to loyalists. Many officers and leaders in the police department took bribes from local businesses, overlooking things like illegal liquor sales. Police also served political purposes such as manning polling places, where they would turn a blind eye to ballot box stuffing and other acts of fraud.
The Lexow Committee was established in 1894 to investigate corruption in the police department.Johnson, Marilynn S. (2003). Street Justice: A History of Political Violence in New York City. Beacon Press, p. 50-56. The committee made reform recommendations, including the suggestion that the police department adopt a civil service system. Around the turn of the century, the NYPD began to professionalize under leadership of then Police Commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt. The NYPD also began to emphasize training, and took advantage of technological innovations such as fingerprinting.
The economic downturn of the 1970s led to some extremely difficult times for the city. The Bronx, in particular, was plagued by arson, and an atmosphere of lawlessness permeated the city. In addition, the city\'s financial crisis led to a hiring freeze on all city departments, including the NYPD, from 1976 to 1980.
This was followed by the crack epidemic of the late 1980s and early 1990s that was one factor that caused the city\'s homicide rate to soar to an all-time high. By 1990, New York set a record of 2,262 murders, a record that has yet to be broken by any US major city. Petty thefts associated with drug addiction were also increasingly common.
In 1993, Mayor David Dinkins appointed the Mollen Commission, chaired by Milton Mollen, to investigate corruption in the department. The commission found that "Today\'s corruption is not the corruption of Knapp Commission days. Corruption then was largely a corruption of accommodation, of criminals and police officers giving and taking bribes, buying and selling protection. Corruption was, in its essence, consensual. Today\'s corruption is characterized by brutality, theft, abuse of authority and active police criminality."[citation needed]
In the 1990s, under Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the NYPD oversaw a large reduction in crime across the city, which has been attributed to the NYPD\'s implementation of CompStat under Bill Bratton, broken windows policing, as well as general demographic changes, and subsiding of the crack cocaine epidemic.
On September 11, 2001, 23 NYPD officers were killed when the World Trade Center collapsed due to terrorist attacks. More lives were lost that year than in any other year in the department\'s history.
Gun control problems in the city came to the forefront during the last two weeks of 2005, when two officers were shot to death by criminals using illegal weapons. Most of these weapons come from the South, through Interstate 95 which has been called the "iron pipeline".http://www.barrypopik.com/article/680/iron-pipeline-i-95
Over the years, NYPD officers have come under public scrutiny with allegations of corruption, brutality, excessive use of force, and poor firearm discipline. Individual incidents have tended to receive more publicity; a portion of which have been substantiated while others have not. The Knapp Commission in the 1970s, and the Mollen Commission in 1994 have led to reforms within the NYPD aimed to improve police accountability. However in recent years, likely due to low salaries and declining morale, many more off-duty NYPD officers are being arrested and charged in and outside the city for crimes ranging from drunk driving to homicide. Walker, Samuel (2005). The New World of Police Accountability. Sage, p. 17.
One of the department\'s most spectacular cases of corruption was that of Lt. Charles Becker, who holds the dubious distinction of being the only NYPD officer ever to die in the electric chair.
Due to repeated public outcry over these and many other incidents, specifically, the Tompkins Square Riot of the 1988, and the Crown Heights Riot, prompted the creation of the Civilian Complaint Review Board (known commonly by its acronym, the CCRB) in 1993, an independent investigative unit comprised of entirely civilian investigators (with some being former Members of Service), who investigate allegations of Force, Discourtesy, Offensive Language and Abuse of Authority made by members of the public against members of the NYPD. Complaints are made directly to the CCRB, through the city\'s 311 information system, online at nyc.gov/ccrb, or at any Precinct within the city limits. This was the third iteration (after an attempt by Mayor Lindsay and Mayor Koch before to create, "mixed," review boards), but was the first to employ an all civilian Board and investigative staff. [1]
The CCRB exits today as a fully independent civil department, staffed with 142 investigators and about a dozen miscellaneous employees. Additionally, three officers from the NYPD\'s Internal Affairs Bureau work with the CCRB at their office at 40 Rector Street as, "IAB Liason," officers, including a senior Detective Lieutenant. Their role is to provide the Investigators with access to certain restricted NYPD documentation quickly and efficiently without having to wait the lengthy processing period document requests normally take (sometimes outlasting the course of an investigation).
The agency is headed by the 13 board members, who defer day-to-day operational command to an Executive Director (currently Mr. Eric Dorsch, Esq., formally Ms. Florence Finkle, Esq.), who is then followed by a newly created position called, "First Deputy Executive Director," which was formerly known as the Assistant Deputy Executive Director before that position was transformed into its new form. The Agency then separates into several divisions, the largest being the Investigative division, led by a Deputy Executive Director of Investigations, followed by five Assistant Deputy Executive Directors (a newly created series of positions, occupied by only one Assistant Deputy Executive Director, Mr. Dorsh, prior to his promotion).http://nyc.gov/html/ccrb/html/org.html Since Mr. Dorsh created the four additional ASEDs, the investigative staff has been reduced in size to 142 and is currently in a hiring freeze due to budget restrictions. Each ASED earns three times the pay of a Level I investigator ($97,243 per year compared to $34,433 per year, respectively). The division is then broken down into 8 Investigative Teams, lead by an Investigative Manager, along with a Supervising Investigator and an Assistant Supervising Investigator. Promotions to Assistant Supervising Investigator and Supervising Investigator are not granted to Investigators based on tenure or results, but rather are arbitrarily chosen by senior management.http://nyc.gov/html/ccrb/html/org.html The remaining Investigators fall into Level I and Level II, which simply denotes tenure, experience and pay grade.
The agency is also broken down into an Administrative Division, which includes Human Resources, Information Management Unit and the Case Management Unit (which stores all records of past cases), amongst others, which is lead by the Deputy Executive Director of Administration. http://nyc.gov/html/ccrb/html/org.htmlThere are then four other directorships, including the new, "Research and Strategic Initiatives Director," as well as the Mediation Unit Director. There is also an accomplished attorney, Mr. Ghram Daw, Esq., who serves as the Agency\'s legal counsel. These units compliment and serve the Investigations Unit, which acts as the main focal point of the Agency.http://nyc.gov/html/ccrb/html/org.html
Each complaint the agency receives is assessed by one of the Investigative Managers on a daily rotating basis, and has its merits checked for proper jurisdiction. Jurisdiction is first assesed by type of allegations. Only allegations that fall under the jurdistiction of the CCRB are investigated by the CCRB. These include Force, Abuse of Authority (which inludes Stop and Questions, unauthorized searches and siezures, inappropriate entry onto property, etc.), Disourtesy (using foul langauge, acting rude, flashing rude gestures, etc.) and Offensive Language which is more specific than Discourtesy and includes racial slurs, ethnic slurs, sexist slurs, homophobic slurs and comments of that nature. Jurisdiction is also determined by the officers involved. As many types of officers work in the City of New York (such as the MTA Police, the Port Authority Police and the New York State Police), complainants encounter all of these officers in their day-to-day lives. Only incidents involving members of the NYPD are investigated by the CCRB. Cases that do not fall within the CCRB\'s jurisdiction are then forwarded to the respective jurisdiction (usually, the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau, the Office of the Chief of Department or the respective organization in question, such as another police department).http://nyc.gov/html/ccrb/pdf/ccrbann2006.pdf
The cases are then assigned to one of 142 civilian investigators, who are members of one of 8 teams (as of 2006), who then attempts to contact the civilian who initially complained. After initial assignment, there are four conclusive dispositions that result only from a full investigation, and five other "miscellaneous," or inconclusive dispositions. These are Substantiated, Unsubstantiated, Exonerated and Unfounded along with Complainant Uncooperative, Complainant Unavailable, Officers Unidentified, Miscellaneous (i.e. the MOS has retired since the incident occurred) and Mediated, respectively.http://nyc.gov/html/ccrb/html/how.html If contact with the civilian complainant is not achieved after five contact attempts by telephone and two letters by mail, and the contact information is confirmed the case is automatically closed with a disposition of, "Complainant Uncooperative." If the civilian can not be located after a diligent search and/or did not provide accurate or correct contact information, the case is automatically closed as, "Complainant Unavailable." These types of cases are not considered, "full investigations," but are tallied together with the total number of complaints for statistical purposes. It should be noted that while not stated on their web page, all communications with Investigators and both civilians and Memebers of Service are tape recorded as well as transcribed, to ensure accuracy. Additionally, contrary to popular (and occasionally published belief, see a former CCRB Investigator\'s misstatements and an Officer\'s misunderstanding in Vice Magazine\'s article on the CCRB)http://www.viceland.com/int/v13n6/htdocs/policing.php?country=us, all statements made to a CCRB Investigator on the record are considered sworn testimony, and are treated as such legally. All Investigators are Commissioners of Deeds by requirement and may depose anyone within New York City limits.
If the civilian is contacted, a statement is initially taken over the phone by the investigator to further ensure proper jurisdiction and to gain a basic understanding of the broad facts within the complaint. An in-person interview is then scheduled at the CCRB\'s office at 40 Rector Street, at which point, the investigator meets with the civilian and any witnesses s/he brings with them that were present at the time of the incident and interviews each person separately. The investigator then transcribes the interview, submits a, "case plan," to one of their three supervisors (each team having an Assistant Supervising Investigator, a Supervising Investigator and an Investigative Manager).http://nyc.gov/html/ccrb/html/how.html Once the case plan is approved, the investigator must then begin their investigation, which involves identifying all subject and witness officers involved. If the investigator fails to identify the officers, the case is closed as, "Officers Unidentified." Once the officers are identified, which is done by obtaining a variety of NYPD documents, including SPRINTS/911 tapes to identify which officer(s) responded to the call in question, roll calls from specific commands, to see which officers were working in the area of question during the time of the incident, Command Logs from respective commands, to determine if the incident was logged and which officer logged it, Memo Books of Officers or DD5s of Detectives, to search for possible notes about the incident, along with arrest records, court records, photographs, Complaint Reports, Accident Reports, AIDED reports, Stop, Question and Possibly Frisk Reports (UF-250s), to name only a few. http://nyc.gov/html/ccrb/html/how.html
Once the officer is identified, s/he is then scheduled to give a statement to the investigator and must attend according to Patrol Guide 211.13. An officer failing to appear or lying to an investigator is, in itself, a violation that could result in severe discipline up to and including suspension and termination. Each officer and their partner at the time, along with any witness officers are interviewed and questioned about the incident by the investigator. This interview is also taped and transcribed, and based upon the officers testimony, further information is obtained by the investigator, including subpoenaed medical records, further department documentation, field canvasses and their resulting information, and so on. http://nyc.gov/html/ccrb/html/how.html
After all civilians and members of service are interviewed and all possible relevant documentation has been received and analyzed, the investigator then collects any relevant case law and begins their, "recommendation," which is their report, averaging about 10-12 pages, on the case in question. The report is broken down in to relatively strict (each team has their own, "style," dictated by the Team Managers and Supervisors, and even then, can and often does vary between internal team supervision), template of investigative analysis. The report includes a summary of all complaints made, an explanation of the circumstances of the case, a summation of the statements by the officers and civilians, a credibility assessment of the officers and the civilians (at which point, the investigator is supposed to weigh in criminal history of civilians and CCRB history of officers, as well as inconsistencies between accounts, motivation of the civilian and the overall possibility of an incident occurring), a summation of criminal and CCRB history of the civilians and officers respectively and finally a recommendation for disposition on each complaint, which breaks down into four main categories (beyond the technical variants mentioned in part earlier): Substantiated, meaning the officer committed the act in question and it consisted of misconduct; Unsubstantiated, meaning that there is not a preponderance of evidence either way to determine if the incident occurred as described and/or the incident consisted of misconduct; Exonerated meaning that the incident occurred but did not consist of misconduct, either because the officers actions were justified or did not actually consist of misconduct; Unfounded meaning that the incident did not occur as described and no misconduct occurred.http://nyc.gov/html/ccrb/pdf/ccrbann2006.pdf
The recommendations are then reviewed by at least two team level supervisors who then approve or instruct the investigator to, "correct," their findings, and upon approval submit the case to the Board, which is comprised of 13 members of the NYC community, five of whom are appointed by the mayor, five of whom are appointed by the City Council (with each borough represented), and three appointed by the Police Commissioner.http://nyc.gov/html/ccrb/html/faq.html The Board is currently headed by Ms. Franklyn Stone, Esq., the first woman to chair the Board. Once the Board receives the complaint, either as a full board, or, more likely, as a three member sub-unit, they meet to discuss the case and then vote on the recommendations of the investigator. If the Board agrees with the investigator, the dispositions stand and the case is then closed or forwarded to the Police Commissioner in cases that involve Substantiations. All cases sent to the Police Commissioner come with recommendation of discipline made by the Board, which the Commissioner has the privilege to review and enforce or overrule. In fact, if s/he so chooses, the Commissioner can essentially dismiss the complaint once he receives it. However, it remains on an Officers\' record for the length of their career, regardless of the disposition. http://nyc.gov/html/ccrb/pdf/ccrbann2006.pdf Public meetings are held to communicate recent statistics and "snapshots," of some of the more straightforward cases are published as examples for the public\'s understanding and announced at this page.http://nyc.gov/html/ccrb/html/profiles.html
In 2006, the CCRB received 7,669 complaints from civilians, and closed 7,399 cases, of which 2,680 were full investigations (meaning that the civilian participated, the officer(s) were identified and an investigation was closed after doing a full and through investigation). http://nyc.gov/html/ccrb/html/about.htmlApproximately 6% of the full investigations resulted in a Substantiated disposition.http://nyc.gov/html/ccrb/pdf/ccrbann2006.pdf 262 cases were mediated, which is an option for certain complaints provided the officer does not have an extensive CCRB history, there was no arrest made and severe force or abuse of authority were not involved. In mediation, the officer and civilian both voluntarily bypass the investigative process and meet each other one-on-one with a third party mediator to discuss the incident and resolve it. This results in no disciplinary action being taken against the officer and often results in a more satisfied civilian as an outcome.nyc.gov/ccrb CCRB Homepage
Many critics of the CCRB exist, especially on the popular website, NYPD Rant, where officers often complain about the sophomoric, "untrained," and "childish," investigators at the CCRB, which is a comment on the young average age of an investigator (anecdotal evidence from former and current employees notes that most investigators are under 26 and have graduated from college within the last two years), and their lack of formal police training or encounters. One famous CCRB critic is NYCLU leader Norman Siegal[2], who often berates the CCRB in editorials for the New York Times, the New York Daily News as well as on television and radio and in his newsletter to members. The CCRB\'s investigative division was recently vacated by Ms. Florence Finkle, Esq., perceived to have been the force behind the growth and acceptance of the CCRB in recent years and taken over by a young, relatively unpopular former Legal Aid Attorney named Mr. Eric Dorsch, Esq. Mr. Dorsch was an accomplished criminal defense attorney in New York City, but has struggled with and often clashed with the investigative staff (including Investigative Managers), the Union (DC37), and remains unpopular throughout the agency and is widely viewed as being an ineffective leader, an unfair manager and a poor director. This is perceived to be caused by his termination of several investigators without cause who had excellent case records, his bloated restructuring of the agency\'s hierarchy, the decrease in productivity by investigators since Ms. Finkle\'s departure (which is not officially available online yet, but has been leaked by several investigators). However, his true abilities remain to be seen and such perception is the result of anecdotal evidence.
The CCRB remains the only completely civilian oversight of the New York Police Department in the City, and is complimented by the NYPD\'s Internal Affairs Bureau, and the Mayor\'s Task Force on Police Corruption, each charged with investigating different types of allegations. The CCRB and its acronym FADO (for the first letter of the allegations it investigates) has permeated all ranks of the NYPD and is part of all officers\' training at the Police Academy. Additionally, the number of complaints has risen steadily since 2002 http://nyc.gov/html/ccrb/pdf/ccrbann2006.pdf as the 311 system was implemented and public awareness of the program grew.
The New York state inspector general said Monday that the New York City Police Department\'s crime lab cut corners analyzing evidence and submitted results in drug cases without having done the required tests in 2002.
Serious errors were made by the police lab under since-reformed practices, Inspector General Kristine Hamann said in referring her report to the Queens District Attorney\'s office for possible criminal investigation. She said past officials failed to appropriately monitor some lab workers\' performance and enforce standards.
"The integrity of evidence is a cornerstone of law enforcement," Hamann said. "These lapses were a threat not only to the prosecution of drug crimes, but to the public\'s trust in our criminal justice system."
She noted that the city has made significant improvements since the improper practices in 2002.
City police Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne noted that the police department made the failures public and the lab workers involved have been removed or left their positions. The lab staff has been increased and more rigorous safeguards are in place, Browne said. He said the crime lab received a 98.4 percent grade in its most recent accreditation assessment by the American Society of Crime Laboratory/Laboratory Assessment Board, which was done in October.
Browne said former lab director W. Mark Dale retired in 2004 and his successor, Dr. Peter Pizzola, found "the lapse in notification and made the necessary notifications in April to state officials, district attorneys and a national accreditation body."
Hamann said her investigation began after the state Division of Criminal Justice Services asked her to investigate allegations of "dry labbing" - sending results to police and prosecutors without doing the actual lab tests - in 2002.
She said her investigators found that lab officials were told in April 2002 an assistant chemist skipped steps when analyzing narcotics evidence and many others did the same. But the lab staff wasn\'t questioned and the claim wasn\'t investigated. She said a double check of two lab workers\' results found incorrect answers, but no immediate action was taken against the employees.
The lab is now searching past cases for any erroneous reports, Hamann said. The prosecutors in all five boroughs have been alerted.
In 1970, police officer Frank Serpico and other officers, testified before the Knapp Commission about the corruption he witnessed in the department. The Commission\'s findings led to reforms within the department, developed by Commissioner Patrick Murphy. Reforms included decentralizing corruption control, within Field Investigative Units, which were intended to be closer and more in touch with the streets where the problems were.
Some of the higher-profile incidents involving allegations of police misconduct within the NYPD are summarized as follows:
Pay for new officers fell precipitously in the latest contract negotiations as the result of a state arbitration panel judge\'s decree in 2005, During training, new hires earn $25,100 a year. Upon the completion of the Police Academy (six months), the annual salary increases to $32,700. Adjusted for inflation, this is the lowest pay in history for rookie NYPD officers. In 2007, the Municipal Credit Union began issuing Visa credit cards to Police Academy recruits, as a way to borrow the money needed for mandatory equipment purchases.NY Daily News March 12, 2007
Top pay for experienced officers is $59,588, not including overtime and other forms of compensation.(Los Angeles Police recruits start at $58,000. a year)"Police See First Rise in Exam Applicants Since Recruit Pay Cut", New York Sun, Sept. 19, 2006. Nearby departments pay considerably more, up to $50,000 for new hires or over $100,000 for experienced."2005 Duties, 1985 Pay", New York Daily News, June 29, 2005. Over the years, hundreds of city officers have left for higher paying jobs with other agencies, notably the Nassau County Police Department, the Suffolk County Police Department, Westchester County police departments, and the Port Authority Police of New York and New Jersey."They\'re Tried, They\'re True, But How Long Do They Stay?", The New York Times, Oct. 8, 1995. Discontent over pay issues has become so widespread and so well-known that higher-paying departments in lower cost-of-living areas, such as the Rochester, New York Police"Offers Higher Salary: Upstate City Makes Case to NYPD Cops", The Chief-Leader, Oct. 6, 2006. and the Albuquerque, New Mexico Police,"Unlikely Recruits Heed the Call of the Sagebrush", The New York Times, Jan. 7, 2008. are actively recruiting NYPD officers to join their forces.
Police departments in neighboring Rockland County and Westchester County have top base salaries ranging from around $85,0000 to $92,0000, not counting longetiviy, uniform pay, overtime and benefits. In 2007 a Westchester County Department of Public Safety officer reportedly made over $250,000 (with overtime), making him the highest paid police officer in the United States.
Large numbers of NYPD officers have also migrated to the New York City Fire Department, where, even though pay is comparable with that of the NYPD, work schedules are more attractive and relations with the public more amicable."To Protect and Serve On Another Front; In an Increasing Job Migration, Police Officers Make the Switch From Crime Fighter to Firefighter," by Kevin Flynn, The New York Times, May 31, 1999, Section B; Page 1, Column 2; Metropolitan Desk Contract changes in 2006, however, now forbid the prior practice of allowing police officers who join the fire department to transfer their seniority for compensation purposes. With all new firefighters now compelled to begin working at the same starting pay, the number of NYPD officers "rolling over" to the FDNY is likely to fall considerably."Cops Entering FDNY Back At Bottom on Pay; Council Enacts Deal Made Under UFA Wage Accord," by Ginger Adams Otis, The Chief-Leader, April 14, 2006
Some NYPD officers charge that the department\'s leadership is seeking to stem the flow of officers to other jurisdictions by administrative means."P.D. Holds Hostage Its PAPD Applicants," by Reuven Blau, The Chief-Leader, Jan. 26, 2007, Page 1, Column 2; In January 2006, 35 NYPD officers seeking to move to the Port Authority Police sued the New York department, claiming that it was refusing to make their personnel records available to PAPD background investigators. The plaintiffs won an injunction at the trial level, but the Appellate Division in January 2007 overturned that ruling and ordered the case to trial.
For its part, the NYPD claims its actions are merely in line with the personnel practices of other employers and that there is no "stealth" effort to prevent officers from moving elsewhere. Nonetheless, it is a fact that no NYPD officers have been included in the last two PAPD police academy classes as a result."Rule NYPD Can Withhold Officer Files From PA; Has Effect of Blocking Transfers to Gain Higher Pay," by Reuven Blau, The Chief-Leader, Jan. 26, 2007, Page 1, Column 4;
Despite these obstacles, there are signs that the exodus from the NYPD may be accelerating. In 2006, 902 officers resigned before becoming eligible for retirement, on top of 867 who left in 2005 and 635 in 2004, which makes for an attrition rate of around two percent. While Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly insists that figure compares positively with turnover rates in private industry, police union officials note that the proper comparison should be with prior years on the NYPD. In 1991, for example, only 159 officers left early, for an attrition rate of less than one half of one percent."Alarm Over Cop Exodu$," by Larry Celona and Bill Sanderson, The New York Post, Jan. 25, 2007, Page 4, Column 1;
NYPD Crown Victoria police car
NYPD Ford Explorer SUV
NYPD Parking Enforcement vehicle
NYPD officers on horseback
There are twelve sworn titles (referred to as ranks) in the New York City Police Department:
| Title | Insignia |
|---|---|
| Chief of Department |
|
| Bureau Chief (referred to as "Super Chiefs" by members of the Department) |
|
| Assistant Chief |
|
| Deputy Chief |
|
| Inspector |
|
| Deputy Inspector |
|
| Captain |
|
| Lieutenant |
|
| Sergeant |
|
| Detective Investigator (Note: These are the traditional criminal investigators, with grades from 3rd to 1st and higher pay with each.) | |
| Detective Specialist (Note: Rank and pay awarded for special merit or technical competence. These are not criminal investigators.) | |
| Police Officer |
Promotion from Police Officer to Detective- Specialist is based on merit. Generally each Precinct has one member designated "Detective-Specialist", which is a non-investigative rank. Promotion to Detective-Investigator is based on investigative experience. Generally a Police Officer who is assigned to an investigative assignment for 18 months will be designated "Detective-Investigator". The rank of Detective holds no supervisors responsibilities.
Promotion to Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain is bases on a civil service promotion exam, in which an officer answers 100 multiple choice questions based on Department procedures and the law.
Promotion to Deputy Inspector and above is based on merit and those promotions are made by the Police Commissioner.
The Department is ultimately administered and governed by the Police Commissioner, who is appointed by the Mayor and technically serves a five-year term; however as a practical matter and custom, the Police Commissioner serves at the Mayor\'s pleasure. The Police Commissioner also appoints numerous Deputy Commissioners. The Police Commissioner and his subordinate Commissioners are civilians under an oath of office, as opposed to the uniformed members of the force who are sworn officers of the law. However, a police commissioner who comes up from the ranks of the sworn members, will retain that status while serving as police commissioner. This has ramifications on their police pensions and the fact that any police commissioner who is considered sworn does not need a pistol permit to carry a firearm, and does retain the statutory powers of a police officer. Some police commissioners (like Ray Kelly) do carry a personal firearm, but they also have a full-time security detail from the Police Commissioner\'s (Detective) Squad. A First Deputy Police Commissioner may have a security detail when he/she acts as commissioner or under other circumstances as approved by the police commissioner.
Commissioner titles:
| Title | Insignia |
|---|---|
| Police Commissioner |
|
| First Deputy Commissioner |
|
| Deputy Commissioner |
|
These individuals are administrators who supersede the Chief of Department, and they usually specialize in areas of great importance to the Department, such as counter-terrorism, operations, training, public information, legal matters, intelligence, and information technology. Despite their role, as civilian administrators of the Department, they are prohibited from taking operational control of a police situation (with the exception of the First Deputy Commissioner).
Within the rank structure, there are also designations, known as "grades", that connote differences in duties, experience, and pay. However, supervisory functions are generally reserved for the rank of sergeant and above. The title "Detective" is not a chain of command supervisory rank within the New York City Police Department. A "Detective-Investigator" has the equivalent rank of a police officer with the specification "Detective First Grade" (highest), "Detective Second Grade", and "Detective Third Grade". Movies and TV have only perpetuated this misunderstanding by portraying detectives as having supervisory powers. While a First Grade Detective may supervise other detectives in his/her squad, he/she is still outranked in the chain of command by a uniformed police sergeant.
Common designations of the various ranks are listed below:
All "Detective Investigators" start at Detective Third Grade, which has a pay rate roughly between that of Police Officers and Sergeants; they can then get "promoted" to Detective Second Grade which has roughly the salary of Sergeants or Detective First Grade which has a pay rate roughly that of Lieutenants.
All "Detective-Specialists" start at third grade, but can be promoted to second or first grade status. It is common knowledge in the NYPD that detective investigators resent the detective specialist rank as these officers are not "detecting" crimes. NYPD is the only police force in the world that uses this rank. Most other reward technical skills or special merit with ranks such as senior patrol officer, technical sergeant or corporal. The detective specialist title was created during the Edward I. Koch mayoralty and has been controversial ever since. They carry the same "gold" shield as detective investigators, further adding to the resentment for the title.
Promotion from Police Officer to Sergeant, Sergeant to Lieutenant, and Lieutenant to Captain all occur via a civil service formula that factors: performance on the civil service written examination for that rank, length of service, citations awarded, optional physical fitness test (for extra points). Promotion beyond the rank of Captain is discretionary.
Promotion to grades within the detective rank is also discretionary.
Badges in the New York City Police Department are referred to as "shields" (traditional term). Lower rank police officers are identified by their shield number, and tax registry number. Lieutenants and above do not have shield numbers and are identified by tax registry number. All sworn members of NYPD have their I.D. card photos taken against a red background. Civilian employees of the NYPD have their I.D. card photos taken against a blue background, signifying that they are not commissioned to carry a firearm. ID\'s all have an expiration date. Sworn police officers are referred to as "MOS" or, members of the service.
An NYPD boat patrols the New York Harbor.
NYPD officers patrol on scooters.
The NYPD is headed by the New York City Police Commissioner, a civilian administrator appointed by the Mayor of New York City, with the senior sworn uniformed member of the service titled "Chief of Department". The Police Commissioner appoints a number of Deputy and Assistant Commissioners. The Department is divided into ten bureaus, six of which are enforcement bureaus. Each enforcement bureau is sub-divided into sections, divisions and units, and into patrol boroughs, precincts and detective squads. Each Bureau is commanded by a Bureau Chief (such as the Chief of Patrol, the Chief of Housing, Chief of Internal Affairs). There are also a number of specialized units (such as the Operations Unit and Compstat) that are not part of any of the Bureaus and report to the Chief of the Department.
The following is an example of the Department\'s bureau hierarchy:
Founded in 1928, it claims the distinction of being the oldest police aviation unit in the world, but there is a competing claim from the London Metropolitan Police Service ("The Met"). Based in Brooklyn, the Aviation Unit responds to various emergencies and tasks, supporting other units of the N.Y.P.D. Among its capabilities are the deployment of divers for water rescues. From a standing start, the unit claims it can be anywhere in the five boroughs within 15 minutes, but this has been disputed and is dependent on weather conditions and air traffic congestion..{{cite news | title=Instead of Walking a Beat, Flying One | date= July 2, 2006 | publisher=The New York Times | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/nyregion/02aviation.html?pagewanted=1
Since 9/11 the department has undertaken a major overhaul of the Aviation Unit. Once equipped exclusively with Bell helicopters, it recently re-equipped its fleet with seven Agusta A 119 Koala helicopters. The centerpiece is a $9.8 million "unmarked" helicopter, which can fly at night without lights. However, this function will require approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and local Air Traffic Control on a case-by-case basis, due to the hazards it could present in the heavily congested New York air corridors. The department has also purchased a state-of-the-art helicopter flight simulator, so officers can practice flying without actually having to take up a helicopter."New Tools for N.Y. Robocop", The New York Post, Sept. 30, 2007.
Famed US cyclist Mile-a-Minute Murphy claimed to be the first police officer able to fly a plane in the US (possibly the entire world) as of 1914 as a member of the NYPD. He envisioned the use of airplanes to fight crime around the same time, though the Aviation Unit came into being 11 years after Murphy retired.
The Emergency Service Unit, a component of the Special Operations Division, provides specialized support and advanced equipment to other NYPD units. For example, its Canine Unit helps with searches for perpetrators and missing persons.Emergency Service Unit. New York City Police Department. Retrieved on 2007-07-10. The Emergency Service Unit also functions as a Special Weapons and Tactical Unit (SWAT) and assists and secures the safety of NYPD hostage negotiators. Members of "ESU" are cross trained in multiple disciplines for police and rescue work. They are always on patrol (all three tours, 365 days a year) with 10 Large Trucks, each manned by a police officer and a sergeant, and often more than twice as many smaller "Adam" and "Boy" vehicles containing two ESU police officers. There are also two or more patrol lieutenants in unmarked vehicles on duty at all times to supervise ESU operations where needed. These are called "E-Cars on the NYPD radio, for example, "E-5". ESU vehicles operate on the "SOD (Special Operations Division)" radio frequency, but they also have the capabilities to transmit on local precinct frequencies.
The Organized Crime Control Bureau (O.C.C.B.) is charged with the investigation and prevention of organized crime within New York City. This is mainly done through standard police investigation and the use of confidential informants. The Organized Crime Control Bureau has numerous units and sub-units that investigate matters such as organized auto larceny rings, unlawful firearms, and prostitution. The Organized Crime Control Bureau utilizes undercover police officers to infiltrate various criminal organizations. The Organized Crime Control Bureau has been effective against the Five Families of the Sicilian Mafia, "the westies" of the Irish mob, and Russian organized criminal elements. The Organized Crime Control Bureau\'s Joint Organized Crime Task Force works in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation\'s New York Field Division (the largest FBI office in the US).
On March 15, 1858 five members of the New York City Police Department rowed out into New York Harbor to combat piracy aboard merchant ships lying at anchor. The NYPD Harbor Unit has existed ever since, protecting life and property. With hundreds of miles of inland waterways to cover, the unit operates 27 boats from three bases."New York Police Department: Scuba Team"
For underwater work, the department used to contract with private diving companies when weapons or other evidence had to be recovered from the bottom of New York\'s many rivers and waterways. In the early 1970s, however, the Harbor Unit formed a specialized scuba team that today numbers around 30 officers. Unlike many police dive units, whose members dive only part-time, NYPD divers are assigned to the unit full-time. (The exception are some scuba-trained officers in regular patrol units who are detailed to the team temporarily during the busy summer months.)"NYPD\'s Air-Sea Rescue Teams" In addition to the normal duties of evidence recovery, the Scuba Team\'s mission has expanded since 9/11 to include a counter-terrorism role. For air-sea rescue work, the Harbor Unit keeps two divers assigned to the Aviation Unit 24 hours a day, seven days per week, all year round. These divers will work with their counterparts in the FDNY, who arrive at incidents by fireboat or rescue company.
The Special Victims Unit is housed in the detective borough commands of the NYPD. The Special Victims Unit is part of the Detective Bureau and investigates the following types of cases:
The Major Case Squad is located at One Police Plaza in Manhattan. It handles the following cases.
Unlike the Major Case Squad portrayed in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, the Squad does not investigate homicides. All homicide investigations are conducted by precinct detective squads and borough homicide squads.
On October 19, 1999, the S.O.D. Taxi Squad was established as a separate unit that reports directly to the Special Operations Division of the New York City Police Department. The general mission of the Taxi Squad is of plainclothes, anti-crime assignment.
It was basically the re-establishment of the police Hack Bureau which had overseen yellow cabs in New York before the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) was formed in the 1970\'s. Today the TLC Police only enforce laws concerning livery cars and other cars for hire that are not yellow cabs with medallions.
The task forces are organized within each Patrol Borough and specialize in rapid mobilization for disorder control. The task forces can quickly respond to an incident location and mobilize to a precision suppression force to disperse disorderly groups and provide perimeter security. The task forces also assist patrol units in a variety of different elements such as in wide area searches for missing persons, DWI vehicle checkpoints, and supplemental patrol in high crime areas.
Founded in 1966, the NYPD Movie/TV Unit was the first of its kind in the country. Because of its relationship with the NYPD, the Unit has the greatest knowledge on how to assist productions, particularly with complex shooting situations, in a City that is dense with vehicular and pedestrian traffic. In addition to this expertise, their services are free to productions filming in the City.
Whether it\'s filming on bridges, highways, or busy intersections, the Unit controls traffic to ensure that companies can get shots that may otherwise be impossible. In addition, the City\'s many police related shows, such as Law & Order and Third Watch, generate "crime scenes" which are supervised by the Movie/TV Unit. The Unit\'s responsibilities do not end there; they also monitor child work permits, stunts, prop firearms, placement of equipment, pedestrian safety, and parking.
While filming on busy New York City streets presents countless challenges, the Unit has, over the years, developed a strong working relationship with the film industry. The unit makes an effort to ensure that New York City remains a popular location for filming.
Until the election of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in 1994, the Unit occasionally assisted with pornographic productions. The Mayor put a stop to this as part of his effort to clean up the streets of New York City. In 1997, porn producer Michael Lucas filed a lawsuit against the Police Department and Rudy Giuliani citing discriminating practices used by the Movie / TV Unit against Porn productions. The lawsuit was dropped in September of 1998 when a district Judge granted a motion to dismiss on behalf of the NYPD.[citation needed]
The mission of the School Safety Division is to provide a safe environment, conducive to learning, where students and faculty can be free from hostility and disruptions which could negatively impact on the educational process. In 2006, NYPD School Safety Agents were classified Civil Service Status with the first NYC DCAS Civil Service Exam June 9, 2007. Starting salary is $ 27,541 and the Union is Local 237 Teamsters .
The mission of the School Safety Training Unit (SSTU) is to provide entry-level School Safety Agents with a fundamental understanding of Department procedures, policies, and the limits of their authority. The Basic Course for Peace Officers without Firearms is a 14-week program geared to instructing School Safety Agents on the fundamentals of law enforcement. Topics include Behavioral Science, Police Science, Law, and Physical Training/Tactics (including CPR/First Aid Training.)
In 2004, SSTU conducted three entry-level courses for a total of 551 School Safety Agents. Assistance was also provided to the NYPD’s School Safety Division’s In-Service Training Unit. Another 1,107 Agents were trained during these sessions.
Also in 2004, continued emphasis was placed on Counter Terrorism Training. School Safety Agents received instruction on current events and conditions that are directly related to terrorism. Other additions to the curriculum included the introduction of facilitated role-play exercises on Bomb/Explosive Device recognition and gang-related incidents.
In 2005, SSTU plans to implement a new curriculum for School Safety Agents that more accurately reflects the day-to-day functions of a School Safety Agent. A pilot program for baton training for School Safety Agents Level 2 assigned to the Mobile Task Force has also been approved and training will commence during 2005. The Program is run using facilities at Brooklyn Technical High School.
Located on the eighth floor of Police Headquarters, at One Police Plaza, the Real Time Crime Center is essentially a data warehouse and search engine operated by a staff of detectives that assists in providing relevant and timely information to officers conducting an investigation. The computer network stores facts about convicted persons, suspects, encounters, nicknames and items of seemingly trivial value whose correlation could assist in an investigation. The computer network\'s control room can display real-time satellite and surveillance camera images and hosts a wireless link to police vehicles equipped to generate sketches at crime scenes and transmit them for comparison to stored data.From database to crime scene
The NYPD has an unpaid reserve police force known as the Auxiliary Police. NYPD Auxiliary Police Officers assist the Police Department with uniformed patrols and provide crowd and vehicular control at special events, riots,accidents and fire scenes.
In 1950, the 81st Congress passed the Public Law #920, entitled The Civil Defense Act of 1950 authorizing a Federal Civil Defense Program. In 1951, the New York State Legislature enacted The Defense Emergency Act requiring New York City to recruit, train, and equip volunteer Auxiliary Police Officers, who would provide traffic and crowd control and other assistance to Police Officers in the event of an emergency or natural disaster. NYS State Penal law provided Peace Officer status to the officers during the event of a disaster or emergency.
In 1967, a Mayoral Executive Order closed the Civil Defense Headquarters and placed full responsibility of the Auxiliary Police Program with the NYPD. During the 1960s when crime was on the rise, uniform Auxiliary Police Officer patrols were an effective means to deter crime. After completing their training, they are Certified by New York State as "Part-Time" Peace Officers.
Before becoming Auxiliary Police Officers, recruits must complete 16 weeks of training mandated by the NYS Municipal Police Training Counsel.The training course is classified by the Municipal Training Counsel as a "Part Time Peace Officer Training" course and as such Auxiliary Police Officers are listed in the New York State DCJS Peace Officer Registry. The NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) requires Auxiliary Police Officers to pass an annual refresher course in the use of force with the nightstick, arrest procedures, and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) in order maintain their part time peace officer certification.
Recently, a directive dated July 14 2005, two weeks after the 2005 London bombings, stated that the City would institute a citywide Transit Auxiliary Police program. This will help reduce crime and fight terrorism in the Transit System. The Transit Auxiliary Police is the youngest Auxiliary Police addition and one of the most highly trained units. [3][4]
On March 14, 2007, two Auxiliary Police officers were killed. Auxiliary Police Officer Marshalik and Auxiliary Police Officer Nicholas Pekearo were shot and killed while following a suspect who had just murdered a pizza shop employee in Greenwich Village. The suspect had entered the shop, asked for a menu, and then shot the employee in the back fifteen times after the man turned around.
Auxiliary Police Officer Pekearo and Auxiliary Police Officer Marshalik, both of whom were unarmed and on foot patrol in the area of the shooting, heard the description of the suspect that had been transmitted over the radio. They spotted the suspect and immediately began to follow him. After a short distance the man suddenly turned and opened fire, fatally wounding both officers.
Several plainclothes officers who were responding to the scene encountered the suspect, who fled on foot and began firing at them. The suspect was killed in an exchange of gunfire with the officers. The suspect was found to be carrying two handguns and over 100 rounds of ammunition.
The Crime Scene Unit (CSI) is a part of the NYPD Detective Bureau\'s Forensic Investigations Division, responsible for forensic investigations of all homicides and sexual assaults, as well as other crimes as deemed necessary by an investigating supervisor. Members of the Crime Scene Unit assist the precinct detectives in the processing of a crime scene as well as determining the proper routing of evidence between the NYC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the NYPD Police Lab and the NYPD Property Clerk.
The Crime Scene Unit is composed of NYPD detectives (or occasionally police officers that are awaiting their promotion to detective), not civilian technicians like crime scene units in other parts of the U.S. Generally these detectives come from an Evidence Collection Team which is operated at the borough level.
The Crime Scene Unit covers all of the boroughs of New York City, but is staffed with less than 1% of the total number of detectives in the NYPD. These detectives are dedicated to doing what is necessary to ensure that the precinct detectives and the District Attorney have as much evidence to identify the perpetrator of the crime and convict them at trial.
The Crime Scene Unit has at its disposal many tools to process a crime scene including the materials needed to develop fingerprints, cast footwear and tire impressions, follow the trajectory of bullets fired through windows and the chemicals necessary to observe blood under special lighting conditions that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye. The unit is also trained to process a crime scene in a hazardous environment, for example following a nuclear, biological or chemical attack.
The NYPD Crime Scene Unit will handle in excess of 1,000 runs a year, a large drop from the busy days of the Crack-Wars in the 1980s where 3,000 runs a year was common. Although there are fewer runs, each crime scene involves much more work these days. The common use of modern equipment unavailable previously, as well as the increase in computer generated case work and sketches means the amount of time spent on each individual case has drastically increased. The modern-era case load of 1,000 also takes into account the fact that the patrol borough based Evidence Collection Teams handle the vast majority of burglaries and robberies as well as assaults where the victim is not likely to die, leaving the Crime Scene Unit to focus on more serious incidents.
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