During Mayor Adams’ tenure in New York City, the number of complaints against the New York City Police Department (NYPD) has significantly increased to the highest level in a decade. Multiple oversight agencies and official reports indicate a rapid rise in cases accusing officers of abuse of authority and excessive use of force, raising questions from the public about the city government’s law enforcement policies.
According to data from the Civilian Complaint Review Board, there were over 5,500 complaints in 2023, a nearly 50% increase from around 3,700 complaints in 2022, marking the highest level since 2012. Preliminary data from 2024 shows a continued surge in complaints, surpassing 5,600 cases.
A report released by the city’s Office of the Comptroller states that from 2022 to 2023, complaints involving “excessive or unnecessary use of force” surged by 49%, marking the largest increase in recent years. Additionally, lawsuits related to police actions brought the city a spending of over $113 million in the 2025 fiscal year, making it the highest expenditure among all city departments.
Several media outlets have also covered this issue. The Guardian, in investigative articles in November 2023 and June 2024, highlighted the peak in NYPD complaints during Adams’ tenure since 2012. Gothamist cited a city report indicating a more than 50% increase in use of force complaints during Adams’ administration, primarily concentrated in areas with higher proportions of Black and Latino residents.
Civil rights groups have expressed concerns about these findings. The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) criticized the high number of complaints as reflecting serious issues of officer misconduct, with the city government displaying a vague approach to addressing them. The advocacy group, Justice Committee, went further to accuse the Adams administration of favoring the police, failing to rigorously hold accountable the officers involved, thus fostering a culture of impunity within the police department.