Amid after the murder of George Floyd two years ago, videos showing officers behaving aggressively with protesters — charging into crowds and at times punching or pushing people to the ground — prompted a flood of complaints to an independent New York City oversight agency. After a lengthy review of a mountain of evidence, the agency said on Wednesday that 145 city police officers should be disciplined for misconduct during the demonstrations, which drew thousands to streets across all five boroughs, reports the New York Times. The Civilian Complaint Review Board, said it found evidence to support 267 accusations of misconduct. For 60 percent of them, it recommended the highest level of discipline, which could lead to an administrative trial and the loss of vacation days, suspension or termination.
The police response to the demonstrations provoked criticism from human rights organizations and residents. The city’s Department of Investigation found that some officers used tactics that violated the First Amendment rights of protesters and that “excessive enforcement” often heightened existing tensions. The review board began examining more than 750 complaints over officers’ actions. Among the accusations that the review board substantiated were several high-profile incidents, including against three officers who were captured on video driving their vehicles into a crowd of demonstrators and against several others for using their bicycles as weapons against protesters.
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