The NYPD union boss has hit out at former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio after 104 cops were found guilty of misconduct during the clashes with BLM protesters in 2020.
The officers were found guilty of misconduct by the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board - which was assembled by de Blasio.
Paul DiGiacomo, head of the Detectives Endowment Association, said the cops were simply following de Blasio's orders during the tense and sometimes violent confrontations with BLM demonstrators.
'The police department only does what they're ordered to do by the Mayor of the City of New York,' he told DailyMail.com Friday.
Paul DiGiacomo, (right) head of the Detectives Endowment Association, said the cops were simply following de Blasio's (left) orders during the tense and sometimes violent confrontations with BLM demonstrators
The NYPD union boss has hit out at former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio after 104 cops were found guilty of misconduct during the clashes with BLM protesters in 2020. Protestors in Times Square confronted police officers during protests for George Floyd on Saturday, May 30, 2020 in New York
The Civilian Complaint Review Board investigated 313 complaints against police officers that were involved at the racial justice protests. The CCRB has completed 127 investigations so far with another 103 still pending regarding apparent police abuse
The investigation, which was conducted during the prior administration, looked into 750 complaints lodged by protesters against police for misuse of force, abuse of authority, discourtesy and making false statements.
Protests erupted across the nation after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020, leaving the NYPD to calm the chaos in New York City.
Multiple types of misconduct were uncovered by the CCRB and include use of force, abuse of authority, discourtesy and untruthful statements.
Among those who complained, people said they had broken arms, fractured eye sockets, received concussions, nerve damage and cuts, all through the actions of NYPD officers.
'Command Disciplines are recommended for misconduct that is more problematic than poor training but does not rise to the level of charges. An officer can lose up to 10 vacation days as a result of a Command Discipline,' the CCRB reported on its website.
A third of the complaints could not be probed because officers did not follow correct protocols with some covering name plates, shield numbers, wearing protective equipment that belonged to another officer, did not switch on bodycams or failed to properly complete paperwork.
'The CCRB has seen unprecedented challenges in investigating these complaints, particularly around the identification of officers due to the failure to follow proper protocols, officers covering their names and shield, officers wearing protective equipment that did not belong to them, the lack of proper use of body-worn cameras, as well as incomplete and severely delayed paperwork,' the agency wrote in the report.
The board investigated 313 complaints against police officers that were involved at the racial justice protests
A third of the complaints could not be probed because officers did not follow correct protocols with some covering name plates, shield numbers, wearing protective equipment that belonged to another officer, did not switch on bodycams or failed to properly complete paperwork
Among those who complained, people said they had broken arms, fractured eye sockets, received concussions, nerve damage and cuts, all through the actions of NYPD officers
The CCRB took in more than 700 complaints from protesters and substantiated 65 of those complaints accusing 104 officers of 187 acts of misconduct
The board investigated 313 complaints against police officers that were involved at the racial justice protests.
A single complaint can contain allegations against multiple officers.
The Patrol Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch points out that no one has prosecuted the damage done to his officers by the protesters.
'Despite CCRB's attempts to substantiate cases on the flimsiest of evidence, the vast majority of complaints they investigate don't result in a finding of misconduct,' he said. 'Meanwhile, almost none of the violent agitators who injured nearly 400 police officers during the protests have been identified or held accountable.'
NYPD officers arrest a protestor during a 'Black Lives Matter' demonstration in May 2020
During one protest on the Brooklyn Bridge former Chief of Department Terrance Monahan was injured when he was attacked by one of the protesters.
The CCRB took in more than 700 complaints from protesters and substantiated 65 of those complaints accusing 104 officers of 187 acts of misconduct.
The board recommended that 61 officers be charged criminally and 43 receive internal department charges, like loss of vacation time.
Ten officers have been disciplined so far.
DiGiacomo said that there was clearly a bias on the de Blasio board.
One way to fix that is to put the board members through police training so that they can understand what the cops go through.
'I think they need to go through training and firearm tactics,' DiGiacomo said. 'They should understand shooting scenarios, and I think some sort of role playing or be at the civil unrest, demonstrations and understand and feel what the cops are going through.'
Last year, New York state Attorney General Letitia James sued the NYPD. She said that the NYPD's harsh tactics suppressed free speech.
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