Municipalities with 20 largest police departments paid over $2 billion since 2015 for alleged wrongdoings and civil rights violations
The 20 U.S. cities and counties with the biggest police departments have paid over $2 billion since 2015 for alleged misconduct and civil rights violations, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.
The payments have settled allegations of excessive force, wrongful detention and other abuses that sometimes stretch back decades and in extreme cases resulted in death or permanent injury.
New York City, the nation’s largest police department, has rung up more than $1.1 billion in payouts since 2015, followed by Chicago at about $253 million, according to data gathered by the Journal through public-records requests. Los Angeles County paid out more than $238 million since fiscal year 2015.
The Wall Street Journal
By Scott Calvert and Dan Frosch
Updated Oct. 22, 2020 11:26 am ET