NYPD settlements hit $930 million since 2018

NYPD settlements top $930 million as payouts continue under Mamdani

Since 2018, NYC taxpayers have paid nearly $930 million to settle lawsuits against the NYPD, according to the Legal Aid Society’s analysis of city data. So far in 2026 alone, over $53 million has gone out to resolve around 500 new claims, with median payouts at $25,000 each. The pace and scale of these settlements remain steady, even as Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration faces calls for police reform.

What drives the persistent payouts is the city’s liability for NYPD misconduct, spanning excessive force, wrongful arrests, and other civil rights violations. Legal settlements are the city’s default approach, as opposed to jury trials, to contain risk and costs. While the policy aims to limit court battles, critics say it dulls the incentive for systemic fixes; they note the terms rarely require changes in NYPD policy or discipline.

With this year’s figures tracking previous years, the Legal Aid Society and others argue the new administration has not issued an “affirmative vision” to curb the underlying abuses. The key question: whether or when City Hall will pursue bolder reform, beyond writing checks. Official annual settlement totals are due in December, and council hearings on NYPD accountability are pending.

→ How does NYC actually pay for settlements like this?: How NYC Pays for Lawsuits

Four more

• Federal agency signs lease to move Manhattan staff to Jersey City · After Local 98’s delay in July, the Army Corps of Engineers has now finalized the move, and notified workers by email. The relocation, initiated under the Trump administration, will require hundreds of employees to report to Jersey City for the first time. (City & State) → Agency emails say staff must report to Jersey City no later than November 1.

• MTA bridge and tunnel speed cameras begin issuing tickets Sept. 22 · Over 15,000 warning notices went to drivers this summer as the MTA ramped up speed camera use at bridges and tunnels. Starting September 22, drivers at these construction zones will get tickets by mail under a 2021 state law, expanding coverage to MTA-owned crossings. (Gothamist) → Enforcement and fines begin September 22; warnings end.

• Mamdani administration moves to create NYC ‘land bank’ for tax-delinquent properties · The mayor’s appointed working group includes officials from HPD, HDC, and local housing nonprofits. Their draft will detail how the new land bank could address the estimated $780 million in city property tax debt and the fate of 3,000 distressed properties that might otherwise go to private collectors. (Gothamist) → The land bank proposal is being drafted and must be approved by the Council this fall.

• Seventeen new public restrooms begin installing across high-traffic NYC locations · The $4 million pilot, announced in January, begins installing the first facilities at Brooklyn Borough Hall and on Manhattan’s Chrystie Street. By next month, all 17 restrooms are expected to be operational, each requiring QR or key card access in partnership with local groups. (6sqft) → Installations started this week; all restrooms expected by late October.

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