NYPD Accused of Destroying Evidence In Regards to Summons Quotas

Ray Kelly will be spending a good chunk of his retirement in court.

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Complex Original

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Police departments giving out tickets to fill monthly quotas has long been an urban myth. It was hard to prove, but how else could you explain cop cars creeping in the shadows every last week of a given month? Well today the Daily News released what could possibly be a bombshell. The NYPD, under the guidance of then commissioner Ray Kelly, is accused of destroying any and all evidence containing the word "summons"—leading lawyers to believe the police department makes officers fill quotas.

New documents in a class-action case allege the department gave out 850,000 fraudulent summonses due to pressure from the very top. Red flags were raised when city attorneys were unable to turn over emails between 2007 to present in regards to summons activity from Commissioner Kelly and former Chief of Department Joseph Esposito

In documents obtained by the Daily News, Attorney Elinor Sutton writes:

“It is simply not tenable that Commissioner Kelly and Chief Esposito did not—in the entire period of 2007 through the present —write or receive emails using terms” related to the word “summons.”

Sutton also claims the same can be said about three other higher ups, evidence has been found of of quotas in text messages and emails that have been destroyed provided by whistle blowers, and that the department still shreds documents even after a lawsuit.

In a statement to the Daily News, Sutton states:

“Our justice system depends on the exchange of relevant evidence.” 

Of course, the NYPD are disputing these "short on meritorious claims."

With the controversy over Stop and Frisk and the NYPD's many cases of police brutality costing city tax payers millions, it looks like the "witch hunt" on one of the nation's biggest gangs isn't letting up.

[via Daily News]

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