As most of you know, a small task force of the Poughkeepsie Community Action Collaborative (PCAC) has been engaged in a months-long investigation regarding policies, practices, and operations of the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department (CPPD). Part of this investigation includes an ongoing lawsuit by one of our members against the city to obtain CPPD records.
In the attached report we used accepted methods of demonstrating disparate impact in analysis of these records and found that the CPPD has engaged in a clear pattern of unconstitutional and hardcore discrimination against the black and African American population of Poughkeepsie. It is further demonstrated that these practices have been ramped up since the mayor, city administrator, and chief of police settled into their offices. In the final stages of the investigation we consulted with civil rights attorney Michael Sussman, who joined Isis Benitez and I for a presentation of the report today, which can be viewed here.
As the report states, we have referred this matter to the NYS Attorney General's Office, and this morning they referred it to their Civil Rights Bureau. We are also referring it to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the US Attorney's Office of the Southern District of NY. As what we demonstrate in our investigation is comparable, if not in excess of, discrimination cases the DOJ has pursued against other police departments, we fully expect investigations to commence.
If you do not have our full report that was released March 1, please contact Isis at PCAC@equitablefuture.org for a copy of it.
