4 Common Forms of Police Misconduct
In New York City and elsewhere, the police are there to protect you and the community. However, sometimes the police may be influenced by things such as prejudice, emotions, personal problems, and even the reactions of their fellow police officers, and misconduct or excessive force can be the result. When this happens, the police officers involved need to be held accountable for their actions.
All of us have heard about some of the cases of police brutality, sexual misconduct, harassment, discrimination, and false arrests that have been publicized by the media over the years. What you may not know, is that many of these types of cases are never covered by the media and oftentimes go unreported. Even so, it’s estimated that over 4,800 cases of police misconduct are reported every year across the United States.
Below are the four most common forms of police misconduct here in New York City.
Police Brutality: Police brutality usually involves excessive force and is the most common form of police misconduct in New York City. Police brutality may include: physical attacks, inappropriate use of a taser or firearm, and a number of other circumstances.
Police Sexual Misconduct and Harassment: These types of complaints involve consensual sexual activity while on duty, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and even cases of child molestation.
Police Discrimination: Police discrimination arises out of unethical activity by a police officer that revolves around, gender, race, disabilities, and sexual orientation, just to name a few. Also included under police discrimination is being beaten by a police officer, false arrest, racial profiling, and unethical hiring and/or promotion in the NYC police department based on gender, race, or sexual orientation.
Sadly, in some cases of police discrimination, African Americans are more than two times likely to not be carrying a weapon when killed during police encounters than Caucasians. In addition, Hispanics and Native Americans are almost just as likely as African Americans to fall victim to police misconduct due to discrimination.
False Arrest: A false arrest happens when you or a loved one is held in police custody without probable cause or without the court’s approval.
New York City police officers are not above the law, and many victims may be afraid to speak out against the police brutality or abuse they have suffered. At the law offices of Greenberg & Stein, we are here to support you and will conduct our own investigation into the incident in order to identify the police officer that harmed you. We will also pull their work history to see if they’ve been the subject of past complaints.
In addition, we will gather any available evidence and talk to any witnesses who may be able to support your claim against the NYPD and who will testify for you in court. Your case matters, and we will be a strong advocate for you to ensure you get all the damages you deserve.
The attorneys at Greenberg & Stein have more than 75 years of combined experience representing the little guy in New York City and we have a reputation for taking on and winning even the most difficult of cases. We firmly believe that no one should ever be the victim of those who have been hired to protect us and to serve the common good.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of police misconduct in New York City, you need to contact the offices of Greenberg & Stein to ensure all of your legal rights are protected and that you receive fair and just compensation for your injuries, whether emotional or physical. Call us today at 888-411-3966 to schedule your free legal consultation.