The Department of Investigation’s (“DOI”) Office of the Inspector General for the New York City Police Department
(“OIG-NYPD”) today released its Fifth Annual Report on investigations and recommendations made in Calendar Year 2018
to the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”). In addition, the Report updates the status of recommendations made
previously that have not been fully adopted by NYPD. The City Charter requires an annual report be produced each year
on or before April 1. In 2018, DOI issued three reports containing 42 recommendations to improve NYPD policies,
procedures, and accountability. To date, NYPD has accepted, partially implemented, or implemented more than half, or 55
percent, of these 42 recommendations. In total, approximately 74 percent of DOI’s 145 recommendations, spanning 13
investigative reports issued since 2015, have been accepted, partially implemented, or implemented by NYPD.
A copy of the Report is attached to this release and can be found at the following link:
http://www1.nyc.gov/site/doi/newsroom/public-reports.page
DOI Commissioner Margaret Garnett said, “In 2018, DOI’s Inspector General for the NYPD released three significant
reports focusing on NYPD’s Special Victims Division, the use of force by officers, and ways that NYPD can make better
use of litigation data. By shining a light on NYPD’s progress towards implementing these recommendations, as well as
those of prior years’ reports, this annual report enhances police accountability in New York City.”
Inspector General Philip K. Eure said, “Tracking NYPD’s implementation of our recommendations is vital to
sustaining reform. Going forward, we will continue to build upon our mission to increase public safety, protect civil rights,
and increase the public’s confidence in the police force by conducting investigations and making recommendations aimed
at improving NYPD.”
The findings and recommendations of Calendar Year 2018 were published in the following reports:
• An Investigation of NYPD’s New Force Reporting System: After OIG-NYPD’s initial 2015 Report
on NYPD use of force, NYPD overhauled its force reporting system. OIG-NYPD investigated this
new force-reporting system and found both successes as well as room for improvement. The Report
revealed that while NYPD has made notable improvements in certain aspects of use-of-force
reporting, officers are still not properly documenting all reportable use-of-force incidents, including
an under-reporting of force incidents in arrest reports. The Report recommended changes to
NYPD’s policies and infrastructure for collecting force data, and called on NYPD to make public
more data about force incidents.
• An Investigation of NYPD’s Special Victims Division—Adult Sex Crimes: OIG-NYPD
conducted a comprehensive investigation of the NYPD’s Special Victims Division, with a particular
focus on the adult sex crime units in each of the five boroughs. OIG-NYPD’s investigation found that
all five of the adult sex crime units were deeply understaffed. While the Report found that the
professionals of SVD are dedicated and hard-working, the investigation concluded that the Department needed to do more to bring in and retain experienced detectives at SVD. The Report
also highlighted the critical need for adequate training of new SVD recruits. .
• Ongoing Examination of Litigation Data Involving NYPD: In 2017, the New York City Council
passed legislation (Local Law No. 166 of 2017) requiring OIG-NYPD to collect, evaluate, and
report on information concerning improper police conduct through the analysis of claims and
lawsuits filed against NYPD. For this Report, OIG-NYPD conducted its own analysis of claims and
lawsuits filed against officers in six NYPD precincts to illustrate the types of patterns and trends
NYPD could be studying if its systems were more robust. For example, the data from the six
precincts showed upward and downward spikes in specific types of claims (e.g., use of force and
false arrests). By interpreting this data, NYPD can furnish precinct commanders with useful
guidance that could lead to improvements in training, supervisory controls, and other operations.
OIG-NYPD’s Report also documented NYPD’s current efforts to review and analyze litigation data,
including how such information could inform NYPD’s early intervention system for at-risk officers.
This Annual Report also provides updates on the 103 recommendations issued across ten reports from 2015 through
2017. Those reports can be found here.
A chart breaking out NYPD’s implementation status for all 145 recommendations can be found on page two in the
Report. OIG-NYPD will continue to monitor the implementation status of these recommendations and issue follow-up
reports as necessary.
