Legal Aid Society

News

LAS Calls on Local DAs to Review Disgraced NYPD Officers’ Caseload

The New York Daily News reported on The Legal Aid Society’s call for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. and Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark to review all cases involving New York City Police Officer Darryl Schwartz, whose professional misconduct was recently detailed in a damning exposé which revealed his “collars for dollars” scheme that has ensnared several of our clients and other New Yorkers on bogus DWI charges.

“For years, Detective Specialist Darryl Schwartz has directly profited from his violations of New Yorkers’ Constitutional rights, racking up thousands of dollars in overtime from these illegal arrests,” said Willoughby Jenett, Staff Attorney with the Bronx Trial Office at The Legal Aid Society. “Despite a lengthy history of on and off the job misconduct, leading to multiple disciplinary proceedings and civil lawsuits, Det. Schwartz has always kept his rank, his job, and his pension. In light of this reporting, we demand respective investigations for wrongdoing by the Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn district attorneys into every case involving Officer Schwartz.”

The Legal Aid Society’s Cop Accountability Project (CAP) empowers organizations and communities across New York City to hold police officers accountable for human rights violations. The CAP project runs a database that tracks police misconduct in New York City and is used by public defense, civil rights, and human rights organizations. Learn more about their work.