Yonkers Insider: AG James: NYPD Commissioner Shea Will Testify on Monday in Ongoing Investigation into Interactions Between Police and the Public.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 21, 2020

AG James: NYPD Commissioner Shea Will Testify on Monday in Ongoing Investigation into Interactions Between Police and the Public. 

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Dermot Shea will testify in her office’s ongoing investigation into recent interactions between the NYPD and the public. Following two days of public hearings that heard testimony from 100 witnesses, NYPD Commissioner Shea will testify on Monday, June 22 at 11:00 AM. The public will be able to listen to that testimony live by visiting: ag.ny.gov/livestream.  

“The public deserves answers, and I am glad the NYPD has agreed to testify as part of our investigation,” said Attorney General James. “We heard hours of troubling testimony from brave New Yorkers about their interactions with the NYPD over the past few weeks, but our investigation would be incomplete without getting answers directly from the NYPD. True accountability and justice will only come when the truth is laid bare for all to hear.”  

The Attorney General’s Office also released videos of the first two days of oral testimony and all of the written public testimony that was submitted to the office.  

The hearing, which began on June 17, sheds light on how police in New York have handled protests addressing police misconduct. Attorney General James presided over the hearing, and was joined by former United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch and founding Director of NYU Policing Project Barry Friedman, who serve as special advisors in the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) investigation into interactions between the police and the general public.  

Members of the public, elected officials, legal groups, and community organizations submitted oral and written testimony to the OAG. In total, there were more than 300 submitted pieces of testimony and 17 hours of oral testimony. There were 52 speakers on the first day of the hearing, including 20 members of the public, 17 government officials, and 15 community organizations. The second day of the hearing saw 48 speakers, with 44 members of the public, two government officials, a community organization, and a law enforcement organization.   

All written testimony, videos, and transcriptions of the oral testimony that was given on June 17 and 18 will be made available at: ag.ny.gov/nypd-protest-response.  

The OAG is charged with conducting an independent investigation into the NYPD’s actions throughout the recent protests and the policies and systemic realities that inform these actions. The OAG has received hundreds of submissions to the complaints email address and online portal. The OAG is reviewing those submissions, reviewing camera phone footage, interviewing witnesses, and reviewing relevant documents that have been provided by the NYPD at the OAG’s request.