Nov 4, 2019

NYPD commissioner to announce departure

New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill will announce Monday he is leaving his post for a job in the private sector, according to the Wall Street Journal. A successor to Mr. O’Neill hasn’t been named.

The big picture: During O'Neill's time as the head of the largest police force in the nation, crime rates remained at historic lows. Officers moved away from stop-and-frisk tactics and aggressive enforcement of some low-level infractions.

Yes, but: His tenure as commissioner was also marked by the officer-involved death of Staten Island resident Eric Garner in 2014, which helped invigorate the Black Lives Matter movement. O'Neill fired Daniel Pantaleo, a former NYPD officer who was deemed responsible for Garner's death.

Go deeper: NYC council votes to shut down Rikers Island

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Ursula Perano

Report: NYC police illegally kept log of juveniles' fingerprints

Photo: Sergi Reboredo/VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

New York City police until recently illegally kept a database of fingerprints from juveniles who'd been taken into custody, AP reports.

What we know: The Legal Aid Society says the repository contained tens of thousands of youths' fingerprints. Bulletins have also been issued to the Department's 36,000 officers notifying them of the procedural change.

Go deeperNov 14, 2019

Rebecca Falconer

Hong Kong protester shot by police, video shows

Hong Kong police cordon off the site where officers shot at protesters. Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images

A Hong Kong protester was shot by police who opened fire on demonstrators during clashes in the city at the start of Monday's rush hour, local media report. A hospital spokesman told the BBC the 21-year-old man had surgery and was in a critical condition.

Why it matters: The shooting occurred as demonstrators "blocked roads and scuffled with riot police officers," some of whom fired tear gas during a general strike across the city, per the New York Times. While there have been clashes between police and protesters for the past 24 weekends, it's unusual for it to happen on a working day.

Go deeperUpdated Nov 11, 2019

Jacob Knutson

Bloomberg apologizes for controversial "stop-and-frisk" policing practices

Michael Bloomberg at a 2019 gala in New York City. Photo: Ron Adar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg apologized at a black megachurch in Brooklyn on Sunday for implementing aggressive “stop-and-frisk” policing practices that disproportionately targeted black and Latino people across the city, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: Bloomberg’s speech was his first since he filed paperwork to enter the 2020 presidential primary in Alabama, with the comments marking a surprising reversal on a core policy of the former mayor's tenure. Bloomberg in the past has strongly defended stop-and-frisk, which allowed police officers to stop and search anyone they suspected of a crime.

Go deeperNov 17, 2019