"BROOKLYN, NY - City investigators are probing a string of recent deaths in NYPD custody, officials revealed during a City Council hearing this week. The investigation, led by the Department of Investigation's Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD, comes amid growing concern from lawmakers and advocates about the lack of transparency surrounding more than 50 in-custody deaths since early 2023. Advocacy groups say these deaths highlight deeper systemic issues within the department's approach to policing and detention."
"The City must confront the NYPD's unlawful reliance on custodial arrests for low-level offenses, its failure to provide medical and mental health care, and the unsafe and inhumane conditions in precincts and courthouses," Meghna Philip, who leads the Special Litigation Unit at The Legal Aid Society, said in a statement."
"The plan urges the City Council to inspect central booking sites regularly and station independent EMS workers-not under NYPD authority-in every arraignment courtroom and courthouse during all open hours. Emergency personnel would also be available for individuals transferred from Rikers Island."
City investigators from the Department of Investigation's Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD are probing a string of recent deaths in NYPD custody amid concern over transparency around more than 50 in-custody deaths since early 2023. Nine people have died in custody so far this year. Recent cases include 29-year-old Musa Cetin found unconscious in a Manhattan holding cell and 46-year-old Christopher Nieves suffering a medical episode while awaiting arraignment after an alleged shoplifting. Advocacy groups and public defenders cite systemic failures in custodial arrests, medical and mental health care, and detention conditions, and propose a 10-point plan including booking inspections and independent EMS staffing.
Read at Brooklyn, NY Patch
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