Author: BXD
Law360: Challenge To NYPD’s Use of Sealed Records Gets Go-Ahead
“A New York judge has certified a class of individuals who contend the New York City Police Department has unlawfully used information contained in their sealed arrest records when investigating other cases. Justice Alexander M. Tisch of the New York Supreme Court for New York County determined Thursday that clients of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton […]
The City: Layleen Polanco’s Death Inspires Bail Fund For Transgender Inmates
“The effort has generated more than $10,000 in donations from fewer than 100 donors in less than a month, according to Kaminer, 52, who works in IT and lives in Hells Kitchen. The money has been used to free six transgender inmates so far, he said. “All of the discrimination the trans community faces in […]
New York Daily News: Have a sealed arrest in NYC? You may now be in a class action suit against the NYPD
“A case challenging the NYPD’s access to sealed arrests is now a class action lawsuit that could involve millions of people, a judge ruled Thursday. The Bronx Defenders, which filed the suit, said the decision by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lyle Frank is a sign the NYPD should reform its rules regarding arrests that were […]
Huge Class Certified in Case Against NYPD Sets Up Mass Reforms to Surveillance Databases
Huge Class Certified in Case Against NYPD Sets Up Mass Reforms to Surveillance Databases Decision Means That NYPD will have to turn over information on how it uses millions of sealed arrest records FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 5, 2019 NEW YORK – A judge today certified a class in a lawsuit brought by The Bronx […]
Bronx Defenders’ Revised Statement on the Closing of Rikers Island and the Creation of Borough-Based Jails
The Bronx Defenders strongly supports closing Rikers Island and the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center (“the Boat”). The conditions within these facilities are inhumane and there is no solution but to permanently close them. We, nevertheless, retract our original statement that supported replacing Rikers and the Boat with borough-based jails and have decided that we […]
The Appeal: What’s Not To Love About The NYPD Slowdown?
“The Daily Appeal spoke to Alice Fontier, the managing director of the criminal defense practice at The Bronx Defenders. I asked Fontier about how the slowdown has played out in criminal court in the Bronx, one of the most heavily policed counties in the country. Over the last few months, Fontier said, there had been at […]
Doin’ the Work: Defending Families Facing Child Removal – Asia Piña, MSW
“In this episode, I talk with Asia Piña, who is an Early Defense Social Worker for the Family Defense Practice at Bronx Defenders, in the Bronx, New York. Asia explains how she works with a team of social workers, parent advocates, and attorneys to best defend parents who are being charged with abuse and neglect […]
Biometric Update: NYPD accused of violating best practices and law with DNA and facial biometrics databases
“Critics warn that the NYPD is not only violating privacy rights and civil liberties, but it is also not complying with a state law passed in 1976. The law says that when an investigation “is terminated in a person’s favor or results in a non-criminal violation,” all records are to be “sealed” and genetic material […]
The Champion: Challenging Facial Recognition Software in Criminal Court
Federal agencies and high profile investigations are not the only places where facial recognition software (“FRS”) is being used. State and local law enforcement agencies employ FRS in investigations that range from serious to relatively mundane. FRS has been used to pinpoint suspects in cases as routine as drug sales, petty theft, robbery, and identity theft. […]
One Zero EXCLUSIVE: The NYPD Is Using Sealed Mug Shots in Its Facial Recognition Program
“In November 2018, Claire Mauksch, a lawyer with the public defenders’ organization Bronx Defenders, picked up a felony case that struck her as odd. The previous day, a suspect had been arrested on felony robbery charges for an incident that had taken place two years prior. There was little information in the file to show […]