The U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday that Yonkers police have substantially complied with a 2016 agreement aimed at curbing unconstitutional police practices and applauded the city’s cooperation with federal civil rights investigators.
“The success of Yonkers and the Yonkers Police Department under this agreement demonstrates the fundamental truth that fair, constitutional, and effective policing can enhance public safety and promote trust between police and the community they are sworn to protect and serve” , Yonkers Police Department Kristen Clarke said. assistant attorney general for civil rights, in a statement.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano speaks at a press conference on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
The 2016 voluntary agreement between the FBI and the city required the Yonkers Police Department to develop clear policies on use of force, detentions, searches and arrests and to collect data on police activities. The agreement also provided for better training on how police treat bystanders who exercised their First Amendment rights to observe police activity.
Over the course of the agreement, Yonkers has demonstrated “improvements in the constitutionality and effectiveness” of its policing, the Justice Department said, stressing that the department’s leadership in particular “has been instrumental in implementing these changes.”
Among other changes cited by the Department of Justice, the city of Yonkers experienced a “significant reduction” in settlements of excessive use of force lawsuits.
The Police Internal Affairs Division has also reduced the average time it takes to complete misconduct investigations from 236 days in 2019 to 72 days in 2023.
“What we accomplished has changed the hearts and minds of the Department of Justice,” Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said Tuesday. “We applaud our police department, as well as the efforts of our community. By working together, we can make a difference for our residents, their quality of life and the way our community treats our police officers.”
Asher Stockler is a reporter for the USA Today Network New York. You can email him at astockler@lohud.com. Reach him safely: asher.stockler@protonmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Yonkers NY Police Department no longer under federal DOJ oversight after reforms
