REUTERS/Amr Alfiky
A BuzzFeed News investigation has found that 319 New York City police officers with a record of lying under oath, stealing, assaults, driving under the influence, ticket-fixing, and threats to civilian in incidents between 2011-2015 were still on the force. According to New York City Police Department personnel files obtained by the outlet, rather than being fired, offenders were placed on “dismissal probation,” which barred them from a usual amount of overtime and promotions for about a year. The probation measure was designed to be used when a cop made an “honest mistake” on a case, rather than intentionally breaking the law or policy protocol. Even if officers were found to have intentionally committed a fireable offense, Police Commissioners Bill Bratton and Ray Kelly—who ran the NYPD during the period covered by the documents–did not dismiss the officers, and many remain on the NYPD force today.