Read on Twitter
In my latest investigation for @univisionNY, we're unmasking the identities of NYPD officers who *verifiably* abused their power -- many of whom received light punishment or none at all.
Part 1 aired yesterday: https://www.univision.com/local/nueva-york-wxtv/reportes-revelan-que-policias-de-nueva-york-senalados-por-abuso-de-autoridad-no-reciben-los-castigos-acordados-video
Here's how we're doing it. THREAD
1/x
Part 1 aired yesterday: https://www.univision.com/local/nueva-york-wxtv/reportes-revelan-que-policias-de-nueva-york-senalados-por-abuso-de-autoridad-no-reciben-los-castigos-acordados-video
Here's how we're doing it. THREAD
1/x
First, the basics:
1. @CCRB_NYC investigates police misconduct
2. Cops get an administrative trial within their own dept
3. CCRB publishes reports with cases where police commissioner reduces punishment for guilty cops
4. Those reports detail facts but keep cops anonymous
2/x
1. @CCRB_NYC investigates police misconduct
2. Cops get an administrative trial within their own dept
3. CCRB publishes reports with cases where police commissioner reduces punishment for guilty cops
4. Those reports detail facts but keep cops anonymous
2/x
5. We never find out which cop did what, even though
6. Police misconduct docs are available in other states, because
7. NY state kept those docs hidden for years, until
8. @NYGovCuomo repealed the law in June, & of course
9. I immediately requested docs via FOIL.
Whew.
3/x
6. Police misconduct docs are available in other states, because
7. NY state kept those docs hidden for years, until
8. @NYGovCuomo repealed the law in June, & of course
9. I immediately requested docs via FOIL.
Whew.
3/x
My goal was to reverse engineer cases to discover identities... connecting anonymous stories (from CCRB reports) to real names (from allegation history docs).
I've never filed a public records request quite like this one. Here's what it looked like:
4/x
I've never filed a public records request quite like this one. Here's what it looked like:
4/x
Thanks to an incredibly responsive effort by the CCRB, I got the docs *in days*. (This is rare, to say the least. But it's the way it should be.)
I carefully reviewed all 93 officers to make sure the details matched. Indeed they did.
5/x
I carefully reviewed all 93 officers to make sure the details matched. Indeed they did.
5/x
On Tuesday, we profiled 6 cops:
Officer Andres Zambrano intervened at a fight between students at a school cafeteria, but he grabbed the wrong person. When other students tried to inform him of the mistake, he pulled out his Taser & pointed it at several students around him.
6/x
Officer Andres Zambrano intervened at a fight between students at a school cafeteria, but he grabbed the wrong person. When other students tried to inform him of the mistake, he pulled out his Taser & pointed it at several students around him.
6/x
Lt. Paul Gaglio attacked an 11-year-old girl. While questioning her about a stolen phone, he pushed her, prompting her to seek shelter at a nearby barbershop. Gaglio chased her, swung her facedown into the ground, then used a chokehold on her.
7/x
7/x
Officer Jose Moreno pointed his gun at an 11-year-old boy & 13-year-old girl who were playing basketball in a park. He pulled out his gun on the children, because they started running away when they saw the police.
8/x
8/x
Sgt. John Mejia stopped a man who was on the way to a doctor's appointment, put him in handcuffs, & tightened them so much that they fractured the man's wrist. The man came under suspicion for... walking to/from a phone booth.
9/x
9/x
Sgt. Clyde Jasmin unlawfully detained a person by approving the arrest of a person who simply had a FitBit fitness-tracking device. He OK'd the arrest for "possession of a weapon."
10/x
10/x
Then there's this road rage case: Det. Courtney Wallace was off-duty & not in uniform when he exits his car, beats a man in front of his girlfriend & pulled a gun on him.
11/x
11/x
Earlier in the week, @propublica published a database with thousands of cases. You can look up some of these officers & see that there were lots of other instances of misconduct. https://projects.propublica.org/nypd-ccrb/
My project is different. We're diving into the narrative of certain cases -- typically those where the officer was let off the hook, or received less punishment than recommended.
This is only part 1. Stay tuned for more.
13/13 https://www.univision.com/local/nueva-york-wxtv/reportes-revelan-que-policias-de-nueva-york-senalados-por-abuso-de-autoridad-no-reciben-los-castigos-acordados-video
This is only part 1. Stay tuned for more.
13/13 https://www.univision.com/local/nueva-york-wxtv/reportes-revelan-que-policias-de-nueva-york-senalados-por-abuso-de-autoridad-no-reciben-los-castigos-acordados-video
For those asking, CCRB docs show:
No punishment for Zambrano pointing a taser @ students, & Gaglio for choking an 11 yr old girl
Moreno got "training" for pulling gun on kids
Mejia lost 10 vacation days
Jasmin got reprimanded
Wallace got 1-yr probation & lost 30 PTO days
No punishment for Zambrano pointing a taser @ students, & Gaglio for choking an 11 yr old girl
Moreno got "training" for pulling gun on kids
Mejia lost 10 vacation days
Jasmin got reprimanded
Wallace got 1-yr probation & lost 30 PTO days
