Updated 03/11/2010 03:27 PM
Lawmakers Ask For City Watchdog Group To Pursue Discipline Of NYPD
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Some city lawmakers want to give more teeth to the public watchdog that monitors police conduct.
They are introducing legislation that would allow the Civilian Complaint Review Board to pursue disciplinary action against police rather than just refer cases of misconduct to the NYPD.
"The decision about whether or not to bring a case to trial, rests solely within the Police Department," said Manhattan Councilman Daniel Garodnick. "Letting the board decide which cases to pursue would instill independence and transparency in this process."
"This is an important public safety measure, to have good independent civilian oversight of the police and to have a strong CCRB," said Donna Lieberman of the New York Civil Liberties Union.
Lawmakers will also introduce a bill that will give the CCRB its own budget, saying the panel needs the resources in order to be more effective.
The public advocate's office says more than 7,000 complaints were made to the CCRB last year.
Of those, only 241 were referred to the NYPD, and police officials say 189 resulted in disciplinary action.