31 NYPD officers may be relieved of duties after being hired illegally, internal investigation finds
A judge says the New York City Police Department must wait until next week before it can fire dozens of its own officers.
The NYPD said Thursday an internal investigation found 31 officers were hired illegally and should be relieved of their duties. As of Thursday night, one of those officers has already resigned.
Applicants allegedly lied about prior arrests, being fired, sources say
The NYPD released the following statement on its initial findings:
"Following an internal investigation, the NYPD recently identified officers who joined the department in the past two years despite receiving final notices of disqualification during the application process, which is a violation of the law. The department was not legally allowed to hire these individuals and was forced to inform them that they could no longer continue as members of the NYPD."
Police sources tell CBS News New York the 31 officers were hired between 2023-2024, and the applicants in question had multiple disqualifying offenses, including allegedly:
- Lying about criminal convictions
- Lying about previous arrests
- Lying about being terminated from previous jobs
- Multiple arrests
- Criminal summonses
- Driver's licenses suspended due to significant traffic violations
The NYPD says all of the applicants had received final notices of disqualifications, and yet all were hired.
"You can't have officers with these letters disqualifying them being out in the field and actually being involved in high-profile situations," said David Sarni, a retired NYPD detective and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
"If the allegations are investigated and they're deemed to be credible or 'true,' then these individuals should not be police officers," said Darrin Porcher, a former NYPD lieutenant and current faculty member at Pace University.
CBS News New York's Ali Bauman asked Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry at his press conference Thursday if any arrests these officers made will be reviewed, but he did not answer.
"We're gonna stay on topic," Daughtry said.
"It's highly unlikely that the arrests that were performed by these individuals that are up for termination would be reversed, because the police officer is merely tasked with establishing probable cause. We have a district attorney that establishes if there was, in fact, beyond a reasonable doubt to convict this individual," Porcher said.
Police sources tell CBS News New York the commander responsible for hiring these 31 officers has been reassigned to the housing division and may face departmental charges.
PBA trying to block officers' termination
The Police Benevolent Association is trying to block the officers' termination in court.
Thursday afternoon, the officers' union filed for a temporary restraining order to prevent the NYPD from immediately firing the officers, and a state Supreme Court judge granted the order.
The PBA and the city will appear in court on Tuesday to argue the case.
In a statement, PBA President Patrick Hendry said:
"We grateful for the pause in these unjust firings, but this is only the first step. These police officers did nothing wrong. It is not their fault that their hiring was tainted by a rogue inspector and arbitrary process. In many cases, they were initially disqualified for minor issues and may have been hired on appeal if given the opportunity to do so. Many of these police officers have served with distinction. Some have even received awards for their work protecting their communities. All we are asking for is the fair process they were denied, so they can continue to show who they truly are. These dedicated officers have already proven their value. They must be treated like the professionals they are."
An earlier statement from Hendry criticized what he called the NYPD's "broken hiring process."
"As far as they know, they were qualified to be New York City police officers because the NYPD hired and trained them. It is an absolute travesty that the department is trying to cover its tracks by summarily forcing them off the job, without affording them the same appeals process available to other applicants," he said.
Commander allegedly overrode failed psych evaluations, sources say
Police sources tell CBS News New York the NYPD discovered all this while investigating the commander in charge of assessing candidates, who sources say had been allegedly overriding some candidates' failed character and psychiatric evaluations.
"I'm seeing a dramatic increase in the number of candidates who are receiving proposed psychological disqualifications because at some point in their life, they availed themselves to some form of mental health care," said Dr. Mark Lerner, a clinical psychologist.
Lerner works with NYPD applicants to appeal their failed psych evaluations, and he believes the department's hiring practices benefit candidates who lie about their history.
"Ultimately, the candidates who are the most honest, in my experience, have the greatest likelihood of being not suitable," he said.
Thursday's revelations come in the midst of a mass exodus at the department. Data from 2023 shows hundreds more officers left the force than joined. In response, the NYPD this year reduced the number of college credits required to become an officer.
"In 2023, this requirement led to the disqualification of 29% of NYPD applicants, meaning we turned away 2,275 potential officers. We can't afford to do that any longer," Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
