Filed Date: 2009
Case Ongoing
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On November 25, 2008, the LatinoJustice PRLDEF of New York filed a complaint letter with the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division demanding that the federal government look into the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD). They alleged that SCPD had deprived Latinos equal access to the law, both by failing to adequately investigate crimes committed against Latinos by whites and by discouraging Latinos from seeking assistance from local law enforcement agencies.
Though it made no reference to the complaint letter, on September 1, 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York initiated a joint investigation of the SCPD, pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, 42 U.S.C. § 14141. On September 13, 2011, the United States issued a Technical Assistance Letter which provided preliminary observations, advice and recommendations. These recommendations included modifying policies for patrolling and policing in the Latino community, updating reporting policies of the police department's hate crimes unit, revising procedures for misconduct investigations, implementing greater supervision and accountability procedures, providing additional training to officers based on specific outcome markers, and enhancing community outreach programs.
On January 13, 2014, the parties entered into a settlement agreement. The settlement incorporated the recommendations of the Technical Assistance Letter. Furthermore, it was agreed that a compliance coordinator would be appointed to coordinate compliance and implementation activity. Finally, SCPD agreed to produce a self-assessment compliance report every six months until the agreement terminated. The agreement was set to terminate in three years, but could end sooner if SCPD maintained substantial compliance with each of the settlement provisions for at least twelve months.
The DOJ released compliance assessments on a regular basis. On June 23, 2017, the DOJ reported that the SCPD had made “substantial progress” in implementing the Settlement Agreement, particularly with respect to hate crimes and internal investigations of police misconduct, but “considerable work remain[ed].”
The DOJ released the most recent report on January 27, 2023. SCPD reached substantial compliance with nearly all of the provisions of the Settlement Agreement, and SCPD was in partial compliance in the remaining three areas: traffic-stop data, policies related to language access, and Spanish-Language Access to the County’s website. First, the SCPD’s traffic stop data must be captured in a more reliable and transparent manner. Second, SCPD must monitor 911 calls to make sure that callers were getting sufficient access to language services. Third, SCPD must translate forms available on the website into other languages. Monitoring remains ongoing.
Summary Authors
Richard Jolly (11/28/2014)
Sophia Weaver (5/2/2023)
Austin, Roy L. (District of Columbia)
Capers, Robert L. (New York)
Coon, Laura (District of Columbia)
Currie, Kelly T. (New York)
Brown, Dennis M. (New York)
Last updated Aug. 30, 2023, 1:47 p.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: New York
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: 2009
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Department of Justice investigation of the policies and practices of Suffolk County Police Department
Attorney Organizations:
U.S. Dept. of Justice Civil Rights Division
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Suffolk County Police Department (Suffolk), County
Defendant Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Violent Crime and Law Enforcement Act, 34 U.S.C. § 12601 (previously 42 U.S.C. § 14141)
Constitutional Clause(s):
Special Case Type(s):
Available Documents:
Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Content of Injunction:
Develop anti-discrimination policy
Provide antidiscrimination training
Implement complaint/dispute resolution process
Order Duration: 2014 - 0
Issues
General/Misc.:
Discrimination Area:
Discrimination Basis:
National origin discrimination
Affected Language(s):
Affected National Origin/Ethnicity(s):
Policing: