Taking Time to Follow Up on the NYPD

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Today, we’re bringing you stories from senior reporter Yoav Gonen, who covers policing in New York City. Last year, Yoav spent more than 30 hours looking over minute-by-minute body camera and surveillance footage in an effort to piece out what happened on Thanksgiving Eve 2021, when Jeffery Maddery, now the head uniformed officer of the NYPD, went to a Brownsville precinct to bail out and order the voiding of an arrest of a former officer who allegedly menaced three boys with a gun.

Within 90 minutes of Maddery arriving, the former cop was released. And our investigative reporter raised questions about whether Maddrey abused his power. Following our reporting, the CCRB, an oversight panel for the NYPD, found that he did. Just last month, a disciplinary trial was set — and Yoav is going to see it through.

When you fund THE CITY reporting, you’re funding reporting on police accountability that sometimes can’t be covered. Why? Because it takes tons of money, reporter’s time, and resources to make sure our story is airtight.

Yoav and THE CITY are currently suing the NYPD after the department denied him records on police misconduct, and those documents are necessary to bring in-depth reporting to the public.

The news cycle moves fast, and it can be hard to go back and review accountability stories like these. But at THE CITY, we make the time for this kind of work.

“Most reporters are so tied up to the ebb and flow of the news cycle that they don’t have time to step back and say, ‘I wonder what happened with that police accountability case?’ We do have that freedom and it’s a very important aspect of journalism that not many journalists have the luxury or environment to be able to do,” Yoav said.

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Today, we’re aiming to raise $5,000. We know we can reach this goal with the support of readers like you. If you’re able, make a donation of any amount today to move us toward our goal — plus, that amount will be doubled!

Today, you can make twice the impact for THE CITY and help us reach our goal of $5,000. It’s a huge impact for our hardworking newsroom.

Now, let’s get back to work.

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