Advocates Condemn Budget Cuts and Call for More Resources for Police Oversight Board

Last night, the Civilian Complaint Review Board announced that the unit to investigate racial profiling and police bias won’t have enough funds to operate past June under the mayor’s proposed budget. Communities United for Police Reform released the following statement from CPR spokesperson Rama Issa-Ibrahim. 

“The Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) is an important police oversight agency that New Yorkers rely on to hold NYPD officers accountable for misconduct and abusive policing. Yet, the Mayor’s proposed executive budget strips essential funding and resources that the agency needs to operate effectively. By prioritizing investments in an already bloated police budget, while stripping necessary resources from the CCRB, Mayor Adams is further diminishing an already inadequate system for holding police accountable and signaling to officers that they can act with impunity.

“The CCRB’s ability to investigate racial-bias and other profiling complaints is crucial to the public safety of all New Yorkers. This is especially important during a time when the Mayor and NYPD Commissioner continue to carry out harmful policies that promote discriminatory and abusive policing practices, like stop-and-frisk and the hyper-aggressive enforcement of low-level offenses, which disproportionately impact Black and Latinx residents. In 2022, Black and Latinx New Yorkers made up 90% of vehicle stop arrests and accounted for 89% of all pedestrian stops. 

“Furthermore, the NYPD’s refusal to comply with data requests of the CCRB is inadmissible and yet another egregious example of the department shielding and protecting officers who engage in misconduct.  If the CCRB is forced to refer racial profiling cases back to the NYPD, New Yorkers are almost guaranteed zero accountability for officers who engage in racial profiling, misconduct, and abuse.  

“The City Council must pass a budget that provides adequate resources for the CCRB to effectively do its job, including investigating racial profiling and other bias-based complaints against NYPD officers. The consequences of losing this essential practice that holds police accountable for abusive policing that disproportionately targets Black, Latinx, immigrants, and LGBTQIA+ residents can lead to an increase in racial profiling and police brutality.”

About Communities United for Police Reform

Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) is an unprecedented campaign to end discriminatory policing practices in New York, and to build a lasting movement that promotes public safety and reduces reliance on policing. CPR runs coalitions of over 200 local, statewide and national organizations, bringing together a movement of community members, lawyers, researchers and activists to work for change. The partners in this campaign come from all 5 boroughs, from all walks of life and represent many of those most unfairly targeted by the NYPD.