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BRONX TIMES REPORTER, APRIL 1-7, 2022 BXR
BY ROBBIE SEQUEIRA
The nationwide Black Lives
Matter protests in the summer of
2020 shined a spotlight on misconduct
within America’s policing
system in the wake of the officerinvolved
deaths of George Floyd
and Brianna Taylor that year.
One of the largest police oversight
entities in the nation, the Civilian
Complaint Review Board
(CCRB) revealed on Thursday,
March 24, that 319 active complaints
— including 12 complaints
against then Bronx-based police
officers — allege misconduct by
police throughout New York state
during the 2020 Black Lives Matter
protests. CCRB officials said
269 cases have been closed, with
187 substantiated allegations
filed against 104 members of law
enforcement and that the highest
level of discipline for the most serious
allegations of misconduct,
against 61 police officers, could
result in an administrative trial
run by the CCRB’s Administrative
Prosecution Unit (APU).
Recommendations are updated
through the police watchdog’s
bi-monthly updates.
Of those 187 allegations, the
board substantiated 65 complaints
of misconduct and recommended
serving charges against 61 officers,
severe command discipline
for 18 officers, and lesser command
discipline for 25 officers.
But the NYPD has only imposed
discipline on 10 officers,
leading to a concurrence rate
of just 42% between CCRB recommendations
for discipline
and what the NYPD’s imposed.
While all 12 of the Bronx police
precincts were hit with a complaint
— marking just 0.11% of all
complaints across the city — the
board recommended severe discipline
for only 42nd Precinct officer
Evgeny Kramar, who patrols
the Morrisania section which
includes the Claremont, Crotona
Park East and Crotona Park
neighborhoods.
Kramar, who joined the police
force in 2019, has since been reassigned
to Brooklyn’s 94th Precinct
which includes Greenpoint.
According to the NYPD database,
Kramar has not faced any disciplinary
action.
Discipline has not been recommended
for officer Toby Lau,
who formerly patrolled the Fordham,
University Heights, Morris
Heights and Mount Hope neighborhoods,
or Deputy Chief James
McCarthy, a former Bedford Park
officers who have been assigned to
Patrol Borough Manhattan South.
“I would like to thank the
CCRB investigators for their continued
dedication to diligently
investigating these 319 cases for
over 18 months,” said Arva Rice,
interim CCRB chair. “New Yorkers
have waited a long time to see
accountability for the misconduct
that occurred in the 2020 protests
and we hope to work closely
with the Department to improve
NYPD adoption of CCRB recommendations
and rebuild police
community relations.”
Bronx officers Evan Angles
and Joshua Jimenez (46th Precinct);
Stephen Cantore (no precinct
listed); Eric Dym (Melrose’s
Police Service Area 7); Joshua
Garcia (52nd Precinct); Vincent
Harris (46th Precinct); Adam Mellusi
The Civilian Complaint Review Board reported that 12 Bronx police officers had
been alleged of misconduct during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.
Photo courtesy Getty
(Strategic Response Group
2 Bronx); John Migliaccio (Police
Service Area 7); and Michael
Pilecki (Patrol Borough Bronx
Task Force) also had allegations
brought against them.
The CCRB’s jurisdiction includes
excessive and unnecessary
force, abuse of authority,
discourtesy and use of offensive
language.
CCRB is faced with meeting a
May 4 statute of limitations deadline
for all protest-related complaints
and other cases that arose
during emergency pandemic orders
executed by then-Gov. Andrew
Cuomo. Police Commissioner
Keechant L. Sewell has
ultimate authority over disciplinary
action.
The NYPD did not immediately
respond to the Bronx Times’
request for comment.
Twelve Bronx police officers hit
with misconduct complaints
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