The conduct of a Brooklyn police officer caused the city to pay out over $12 million, the highest amount of judgments paid out for lawsuits against police officers in the past decade, the Legal Aid Society said on Tuesday.
According to Amny, Pedro Rodriguez from the 72nd Precinct has four cases filed against him and $12,050,000 in payouts — the highest amount of judgments for any active NYPD member. Of the 19 allegations against him, 10 are substantiated for abuse of authority.
Another officer is Sergeant David Grieco, who the Legal Aid Society says has 48 cases filed against him since 2013. Grieco has $1,134,825.35 in lawsuit payouts.
Staff Attorney with the Cop Accountability Project at The Legal Aid Society Jennivine Wong expressed concern that the officers were allowed to work despite the allegations against them. More alarming, she said, was the promotion of these officers to some of the highest rankings without repercussions.
“Together, these NYPD members of service have garnered hundreds of lawsuits raising alarming allegations of misconduct and costing taxpayers staggering amounts of money. Yet many of these officers are still allowed to wear a badge and carry a gun," Wong said.
The lawsuit data is not a reliable indicator of how police officers perform their duties, said Patrick Hendry, the president of the Police Benevolent Association.
"Lawsuits are frequently settled for reasons that have nothing to do with the actions of a specific police officer named in the suit, including cases where city settles rather than fighting a frivolous suit in court,” Hendry said.
