Behind the Blue Wall of Silence: Racial Disparities in NYPD Discipline

This Note presents the first contemporary empirical study of racial disparities in New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) discipline. Historically, the NYPD, like many departments across the country, applied its enormous disciplinary discretion in secrecy. That changed in June of 2020, when New York City publicly released thousands of civilian complaints and disciplinary decisions. Analysis of these newly released data reveals significant racial disparities in discipline of police officers. More fundamentally, these data demonstrate the NYPD’s extreme leniency towards police misconduct of all kinds and its disregard of recommendations by the Civilian Complaint Review Board. These findings call for greater transparency in New York and around the country. Greater transparency will encourage participation by both officers of color and the public in discourse about police reform, leading to shifts in public opinion and playing an essential role in the pathway to police abolition.