The city has reportedly paid out nearly a billion dollars over 10 years to settle lawsuits against the New York City Police Department.
According to an Associated Press investigation, the $964 million in payouts cover everything from brutality cases to car accidents involving patrol cars.
The sum includes the $7 million awarded to Sean Bell’s fiancee and friends, stemming from the fatal 2006 police shooting.
The city’s spending on police claims is more than twice that of any other city, averaging about $96 million a year from 1999 to 2008.
Chicago comes in second place, with $39 million a year over the past six years.
The AP says New York has worked to minimize the cost of settlements through officer training and discipline.
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2 Responses
Bloomberg has always talked about tort reform but Shelly Silver has made sure that any bill dealing with that issue dies before it gets to committee. As a consultant with a major legal firm, he has biases and prejudices.
The first step in tort reform would be to exempt all law enforcement, fire, and emergency personnel from civil suits. This would not mean that they couldn’t be arrested and charged with a crime with the possibility of dismissal. It would just mean that the city would not have to pay out a fortune in civil damages.
Your Sister:
Your comment “The first step in tort reform would be to exempt all law enforcement, fire, and emergency personnel from civil suits. This would not mean that they couldn’t be arrested and charged with a crime with the possibility of dismissal” mixes apples and oranges – you first want to exempt “emergency personnel” from CIVIL suits – and then say that this would exempt them from CRIMINAL liability – the comment is mixed up.
Public sector employees already are generally exempt from civil suits arising out of the performance of their jobs – exceptions exist for particularly aggregious or malicious behavior, and for everyday “normal” tort situations (car accidents, for example).
I suggest you rethink this. Do you really want to exempt the City from tort liability if a cop or other employee negligently runs a light and kills someone as a result? – Do you really want a public sector employee to have a free pass on criminal conduct? I don’t think anyone has ever seriously advocated such positions