An analysis by Newsday calculates that police misconduct claims have cost Long Island taxpayers $165 million over the last 20 years. The investigation looked at lawsuits filed since 2000 against Long Island’s two large county police departments and the scores of smaller departments on the island.
According to the report, the amount municipalities paid out increased sharply in the last ten years. Between 2000 and 2010, departments paid $21 million in judgments. That number increased to $144 million between 2011 and 2013.
A major driver to the costs were wrongful convictions where multiple people spent years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone called the $165 million in payments a “corruption tax.” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman called the lawsuits “anomalies” and was surprised by the high cost. Long Island’s police unions have not responded to the analysis.
