The Justice Department says in a new report that police departments in suburban New York regularly violate civil rights, including by making false arrests and conducting illegal strip and cavity searches.
A report released Thursday alleges that Mount Vernon police do not use Tasers or handguns to unnecessarily escalate minor confrontations, especially against people already on the ground and under control of multiple officers or police officers. We identified excessive use of force in a variety of ways, including the abuse of force. Already suppressed.
It also identified concerns about how police departments conducted vehicle stops and collected evidence, and raised concerns about discriminatory enforcement. It has also been pointed out that the police arrested him without a valid reason.
Although no single incident sparked an investigation into the Mount Vernon Police Department, illegal strip searches of two elderly women, ages 65 and 75, respectively, in 2020 were emblematic of the department's civil rights violations. , the report states.
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Mount Vernon, New York, police regularly violated the civil rights of residents, including making false arrests and conducting illegal strip and cavity searches, according to the Department of Justice. (Ting Sheng/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
According to reports, two women were arrested on suspicion of purchasing drugs. Officers searched their car and found no evidence of a crime, but still detained them and took them to the police station in handcuffs.
Supervisors at the department authorized detectives to strip search him and “instructed him to bend over and cough,” the report said.
An internal investigation found that the officers had lied about the women buying drugs, and the officers involved were given several days of administrative leave as disciplinary action.
“Our investigation shows that we have probable cause to believe that the MVPD engages in a pattern of conduct and conduct that violates the constitutional rights of the people it is sworn to protect,” said Damien Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Found it,” he said in part. In a statement.
Mount Vernon police conducted strip searches on all people arrested through at least the fall of 2022, according to the report.
The Mount Vernon Police Department's investigation into a pattern of officer misconduct is one of 12 the Department of Justice has launched into local police agencies over the past three years. (Mount Vernon Police Department/Facebook)
Officers also stripped people who did not make arrests and detained and interrogated people without making formal arrests.
People who verbally criticized police officers were also arrested, which is protected by the right to freedom of speech and expression.
The Justice Department said searches of illegal strips and cavities will continue until at least 2023. The activities were “cured down” during the investigation, but investigators said they were “not convinced that these activities have ended.”
“These illegal searches are deeply ingrained in MVPD practices, have been occurring for many years, and were highly intrusive,” the report states.
The report identified instances of unconstitutional arrests, including one in which officers took the mother of a shooting victim to a police station and questioned her while her daughter was rushed to the hospital after being hit by a stray bullet. The daughter died while her mother was in police custody. Officers did not say why the mother was taken into custody.
Mount Vernon police supervisors have approved strip searches after two women were illegally arrested after being told to “bend over and cough,” according to the Department of Justice. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
The Department of Justice says the police department has financial mismanagement, which has exacerbated widespread human rights abuses through illegal policies and poor training, and that low salaries make it difficult to recruit, retain, and staff high-quality officers. It added that training and paying bills is difficult, which reduces the police force. supply budget.
The Justice Department said the city has already taken steps to improve policing. The report made a series of recommendations, including taking steps “to ensure that unconstitutional strip and body cavity searches are not conducted.”
Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard (D) said in a statement that the city will work with the Department of Justice to address the findings of civil rights violations.
“While we wholeheartedly support good police officers, we will not tolerate and punish unconstitutional police practices,” Patterson-Howard said.
The Justice Department IG revealed in January that 26 FBI informants were present. 6
Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard said three police officers and two civil servants were fired as a result of the 2021 investigation. (AP)
The mayor said three police officers and two civil servants were fired as a result of the 2021 investigation, but he did not provide details on when or why those individuals were fired.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clark of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said the investigation into MVPD “revealed a pattern and practice of misconduct that can and must be addressed,” adding that the department is committed to “ending these unconstitutional practices.” He added that it was necessary to take measures to
“Police reform doesn't happen overnight,” Clark added. “Across the country, the department's investigations, findings, and resulting reform actions are helping to make law enforcement the department the public needs and deserves.”
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The investigation into a pattern of misconduct among Mount Vernon Police Department officers is one of 12 investigations the Department of Justice has launched into local police agencies over the past three years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
