NYPD allegedly violated civil rights in wrongful home searches
Source: Associated Press
NYPD allegedly violated civil rights in wrongful home searches
Associated Press in New York
Tuesday 1 March 2016 16.14 GMT
The NYPD has violated civil rights and privacy by wrongfully searching some homes, according to a report by the citys police watchdog agency.
A review of 180 civilian complaints, out of 1,762 substantiated by the Civilian Complaint Review Board during the past five years, found two recurring practices responsible for the violations: either the officer misunderstood legal standards that allow police to enter a home, or old warrants were used, according to the report released late Monday.
Officers also sometimes used investigation cards, called I-Cards, to enter homes, although they cannot legally function as warrants.
The review found that nearly half the substantiated complaints were in Brooklyn, and more than half were the homes of black residents. The cases involved 263 officers out of the more than 35,000 that make up the nations largest police force. In addition to wrongful searches, the review board also found instances of offensive language, discourtesy and excessive force.
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Read more:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/01/nypd-violated-civil-rights-wrongful-searches-of-homes