Welcome to the weekly update from the Campaign to End Qualified Immunity! Here, we give you a wrap-up of the latest developments and notable news as we continue our state-focused fight to abolish the unjust rule.
This week, CBS explores how police misconduct affects taxpayers; racial profiling in Illinois traffic stops reaches a record high; the Washington cops who killed Manuel Ellis face trial; and more!
FEATURED STORY
CBS News: Settlements for Police Misconduct Lawsuits Cost Taxpayers from Coast to Coast
“Cities can face hundreds of lawsuits related to police misconduct each year—often related to the conduct of just a few officers—and while the payouts vary wildly, settlements are almost always funded by taxpayers. Police officers have qualified immunity, which means they are generally shielded from criminal prosecution, so for people alleging misconduct, lawsuits may be the only recourse.”
Read more here.
NEW YORK
In 2021, the NYPD launched an online portal allowing public access to police misconduct records. However, legal experts have noticed that the site doesn’t provide crucial information on cops named in dozens of lawsuits. “The NYPD defines misconduct very narrowly,” said attorney Jennvine Wong at the Legal Aid Society. “And in that sense, I think what we’re looking at is really problematic because it allows these kinds of officers to continue to act with impunity.”
Read more here.
An analysis from the New York Civil Liberties Union reveals that, ever since Mayor Eric Adams took office, the NYPD has made over 1 million traffic stops demonstrating “stark racial disparities”: nearly 90% of those arrested were Black or Latino.
Read more here.
MARYLAND
In a recent op-ed, public safety advocates Beverly John and Yanet Amanuel call on Prince George’s County’s city council to grant independent investigatory powers to the Police Accountability Board. Granting the board this authority, they write, “will help address the perception of bias or conflicts of interest when police departments investigate their own officers.”
Read more here.
ILLINOIS
In 2003, Illinois passed a law to combat racial profiling in police traffic stops. But 20 years later, the measure has failed to live up to its promise. Law enforcement agencies aren’t complying with the law and, as a result, stops involving Black motorists have reached 30.5%, its highest level in years.
Read more here.
ADDITIONAL NEWS
NPR: Podcast Explores Police Killing of Manuel Ellis, as Officers Go on Trial
“In Washington state, a trial has just gotten underway that was years in the making. Back in 2021, Washington’s attorney general charged three Tacoma police officers with murder and manslaughter in the 2020 killing of an unarmed Black man named Manuel Ellis. It was the first time the office had charged police officers with unlawful use of deadly force.”
Read more here.
Reveal News: ‘If the Police Don’t Believe You, They Might Prosecute You’: How Officers Turn Victims of Sexual Assault Into Suspects
TW
“By some estimates, more than half of women and nearly a third of men in the U.S. will experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetimes. Most of those crimes go unreported. Of the cases that make it to law enforcement, the least likely outcome is an arrest of a perpetrator. The vast majority of complaints to law enforcement end with no trial, no conviction and, for victims, no closure—instead, they leave with a deep mistrust of the legal system, while some predators go free and attack again.”
Read more here.
Dallas Observer: ‘Reinstated’: Dallas Paramedic Who Kicked Mentally Ill Man Is Back
“Brad Cox, the Dallas…paramedic who kicked a mentally ill man several times while on the job in 2019, has been allowed to return to the department. Cox, a former MMA fighter, was one of several with the department who showed up to the scene of a grass fire in West Dallas in August 2019. There, they found a man named Kyle Vess, who they suspected was setting the fires. Vess suffers from a mental illness similar to schizophrenia as well as the lasting impacts of a previous traumatic head injury.”
Read more here.
Gothamist: AI, Tasers and More Supervision: NJ’s Plan to Reform the Troubled Paterson Police Department
“Paterson will be the first department in the tristate area to use artificial intelligence to analyze all body camera footage, according to the strategic plan. It says the systems from body camera review company Truleo, which were procured through state funding, will be used to identify and review ‘critical events such as uses of force…so supervisors can then review officers’ conduct.’”
Read more here.
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