Month: September 2016

In many cases of police misconduct or brutality, the incident is often described as being unusual or out-of-the-ordinary, the actions of a few rogue officers. However, as more news media coverage has focused on these cases, it has become clear that this type of conduct is far from unusual. One measure of the commonness of these cases is the amount of money New York City spends every year on settlements and verdicts involving officer misconduct. In the last fiscal year, the city spent $228.5 million on these cases. Police misconduct costs are almost as much as entire city departments and...

It was not a good Valentine's Day for Maleatra Montanez. In 2015, she called 911 in need of help. The officer who arrived at her home, Chester Thompson, promptly forced her to have sex with him. For nearly two years now, she has tried to obtain justice through the legal system. It seems, finally, she may be on the cusp of receiving it. Thompson, then a member of the Syracuse Police Department (and presently an employee of Blue Camel Water and Pools), now faces accusations from multiple alleged victims. Still more women have come forward with accounts of abuse at his hands, even though they...