Audit Report on the Case Management Practices of the Civilian Complaint Review Board

AUDIT REPORT IN BRIEF

This report determined whether the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) is completing its investigations of police misconduct complaints in a timely manner and whether it is performing the required steps in its investigations. CCRB is an independent mayoral agency that was created in 1993 and is authorized to investigate complaints concerning misconduct by City police officers. It investigates allegations of excessive use of force, abuse of authority, discourtesy, or use of offensive language—including, but not limited to, slurs relating to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability. The Board, composed entirely of civilians, forwards its findings and recommendation to the New York City Police Department. In Calendar Year 2004, CCRB closed 5,818 cases. CCRB substantiated that there was police misconduct in 399 of these cases.

Audit Findings and Conclusions

CCRB ensured that a very high percentage of its cases were completed in a timely manner. Of the 5,818 case investigations that CCRB closed during Calendar Year 2004, 98 percent were closed within 18 months of the incident date, as generally required by State law. Significantly, however, CCRB did not consistently perform certain required steps in conducting its investigations. Many case files lacked required investigative case plans and time-triggered progress reports. In addition, some of the plans and progress reports that were prepared were not reviewed by supervisors. Therefore, important management tools to ensure efficient, thorough, and fair investigations are not being consistently used.

Audit Recommendations

The audit recommended that CCRB:

• Ensure that every investigation has an approved investigative case plan as outlined in its procedures.

• Ensure that all required time-triggered progress reports are prepared and reviewed, as outlined in its procedures.

Agency Response

In its written response to our draft report, CCRB generally agreed with the audit’s findings and recommendations.