The Legal Aid Society is praising a decision by Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark to dismiss 133 cases tied to the testimony of former NYPD detective Joseph Franco, who has been indicted on multiple counts of perjury, as reported by the New York Daily News.

Bronx prosecutors had previously thrown out 123 cases due to Franco’s credibility issues and this spring Brooklyn prosecutors dismissed 90 additional matters. More than 250 cases tied to Franco are still under review.

“This unconscionable and inexcusable behavior corrodes the public’s trust in law enforcement, and it has also caused harm and hardship to real New Yorkers, particularly Black and Latinx New Yorkers who are disproportionately targets of harassment and abuse from police officers,” said Elizabeth Felber, Director of the Wrongful Conviction Unit at The Legal Aid Society.

“Legal Aid applauds District Attorney Clark for this action, but we urge that these reviews be conducted with full transparency whenever District Attorneys become aware of egregious police misconduct,” she continued. “All prosecutors must be willing to investigate these issues of misconduct within law enforcement, even in the absence of headlines or public pressure.”