New York Daily News – by ROCCO PARASCANDOLA
The NYPD has another layer of accountability to deal with — the Legal Aid Society has created a database of cops who behave badly.
The group’s lawyers, who represent those who can’t afford to pay for an attorney, contend police do a poor job tracking cops who are accused of wrongdoing and repeatedly sued.
The Cop Accountability Program, or CAP, will collect information about cops accused of wrongdoing, then share it with Legal Aid lawyers and attorneys from outside firms.
Tina Luongo, an attorney in charge at Legal Aid, said CAP comes at a pivotal time — with New Yorkers less likely to believe the contention that most lawsuits and allegations against police are frivolous.
“I think we’re at a moment where the general public isn’t buying that anymore,” Luongo said. “You can make that claim all you want when there is no transparency, but you can’t when the video (goes online).”
Cynthia Conti-Cook, who is running CAP, said Legal Aid has already uploaded 2,750 entries into its database — everything from lawsuits and Civilian Complain Review Board histories to judges’ rulings and newspaper stories.
The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment.
“The group’s lawyers, who represent those who can’t afford to pay for an attorney, contend police do a poor job tracking cops who are accused of wrongdoing and repeatedly sued.”
That’s because they keep getting transferred/promoted.