NYPD's safety teams conducted high percentage of unlawful stops despite enhanced training: Report

The New York Police Department’s Neighborhood Safety Teams conducted a high percentage of unlawful stops over a three-month period last year, according to a new report from the department’s federal monitor.

The report found that nearly a quarter of the stops made by NST officers were performed without reasonable cause. Of the 184 encounters during the second quarter of 2022, 45 were unconstitutional, the report claimed.

Federal monitor Mylan Denerstein stated in the report filed in court Monday, “Despite training and experience, [NST] officers overall appear to be stopping, frisking, and searching individuals at an unsatisfactory level of compliance.”

He added, “Too many people are stopped, frisked, and searched unlawfully.”

Denerstein slammed NYPD officials for failing to implement proper oversight of the safety teams, noting that “there appears to be very limited accountability.”

“Whether or not the supervisors were on the scene, the sergeants and lieutenants did a poor job assessing the work of their subordinates,” he wrote.

The NST units were launched last year by Democratic Mayor Eric Adams’ administration to crack down on gun crime. The task force was a reboot of the NYPD’s anti-crime unit, which was disbanded by former Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2020.

The previous anti-crime units were criticized for their effectiveness and accused of racial profiling. After taking office, Adams renamed the units and vowed to implement more enhanced training.

Despite the additional training, other officers in eight commands performed more lawful stops than NST cops, the audit stated. Additionally, the report found that 97% of civilians stopped by NST officers were black or Hispanic. Of 230 car stops, only two recovered weapons and another two seized contraband, it stated.

The federal monitor’s report found that the NST officers often gave questionable reasons for performing the stops, including anonymous tips. The audit also noted that some accounts provided by the officers did not match the footage captured on their body cameras.

A spokesperson for the NYPD said that the department disagreed with the audit’s findings and noted that officials were still reviewing the report.

“NSTs engage with the public lawfully and constitutionally, and since the implementation of the program they have been instrumental in the reduction of shootings and homicides that the City is experiencing,” the spokesperson told the New York Post.

A spokesperson for Adams’ office also pushed back on the “methodology used” in the report.

“Of course, any unconstitutional stop is unacceptable and we will strive to do better for New Yorkers every day,” the spokesperson stated. “As Mayor Adams always says, the prerequisites to prosperity are public safety and justice.”

The federal monitor ordered the NYPD to improve its compliance levels within 30 days. It also noted that it would perform a “more comprehensive audit” due to the troubling findings.

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