Police Department Discipline

When the Civilian Complaint Review Board determines that an officer committed misconduct, it forwards the case to the police department. The police commissioner retains sole discretion over how much punishment to issue in connection with a case, and even whether to issue discipline at all.

From 1995 through 2006, the rate at which police officers against whom the CCRB substantiates allegations receive discipline more than doubled. In 1995, the police department disciplined only 31% of officers who were the subjects of substantiated CCRB allegations. By 2006, this percentage had risen to 78%, the highest rate since the creation of the CCRB as an independent agency in 1993.

However, in April of 2007, the trend suddenly reversed, and the percentage of officers disciplined dropped to 61%. The reversal occurs at a time when the CCRB has made findings of substantiated less frequently than it once did, suggesting that even as the board has taken a stricter view of what constitutes misconduct, officers who are found to have violated the Patrol Guide or the law are subjected to discipline less frequently.