Chapter 1 Introduction

Legislation 50-a, implemented in 1976, refuses disclosure of police records to the public to prevent criminal defense lawyers from using them in cross examination. On June 12th 2020, New York state repealed that law. Propublica, a non-profit organization submitted a records request and has made this data available to the general public subject to terms and conditions.

We analyzed this data to capture the trends in police brutality based on ethnicity, age and gender in NYC across years. Over the analysis we will aim to:

  • Capture the extent of police misconduct based on ethnicity, age and gender at a macro level and at a precinct/neighborhood level within NY

  • Understand the impact of civilian misconduct cases on police officers by analyzing the case outcome, action taken, and the ranks awarded over years

  • Understand the temporal trend in police misconduct cases against civilians in NYC