Federal Judge Approves Settlement in Lawsuit Against Suffolk County Police for Racial Discrimination

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

July 14, 2023 

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Federal Judge Approves Settlement in Lawsuit Against Suffolk County Police for Racial Discrimination 
Settlement in a 2015 Class Action Suit Seeks Reform, Transparency & Accountability from Police Department  

Brooklyn, NY – A federal district court judge today approved a settlement in the class action lawsuit Plaintiffs 1-21 v. Suffolk County Police Department, a case alleging that for years the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) allowed police officers to repeatedly and routinely stop, harass and even rob Latinos living and working in Suffolk County. 

Plaintiffs 1-21 v. Suffolk County Police Department, was brought by LatinoJustice PRLDEF in May 2015 on behalf of 21 Latino residents of Suffolk County, Long Island, who were victims of a discriminatory traffic stop by SCPD police officers in Suffolk County. Millbank LLP joined LatinoJustice as pro bono co-counsel in the case in May 2018.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit held a press conference this morning and reiterated their claims saying that they were victims of Scott A. Greene, a former Suffolk police officer who engaged in racially-biased policing and who would usually shake them down for $100. However, Former Sergeant Greene wasn’t the only one engaging in these acts, according to the plaintiffs, other officers were also stealing money from working-class Suffolk residents. Only after years of complaints did the district attorney finally conduct a sting operation and catch Sergeant Greene in the act. The lawsuit also found that the Internal Affairs Department was unable or unwilling to investigate biased complaints effectively. 

The hearing taking place in the Eastern District Court of New York in downtown Brooklyn before Judge William F. Kuntz III was the final step before the settlement could go into effect. 

The settlement, initially reached in March, and approved by the Suffolk County Legislature that same month, requires the SCPD to implement elements of its existing police reform plan with regular reporting over the next three years and then maintain compliance for another year.  

Terms of the settlement require the SCPD to: 

• collect data about traffic and pedestrian stops to be published and available to the public on a quarterly basis; 
• require officers to record the reason for a stop, the length of the stop, and actions taken by the officer and demographic information of those stopped; 
• train all officers to combat implicit bias; 
• limit car searches, give out their business cards in English and Spanish and use body-worn cameras; 
• hire Spanish-fluent police aides; 
• designate a detective to be the primary contact for all U-Visa certifications provided to victims of certain types of crimes;  
• investigate all SCPD applicants for ties to white supremacist organizations.   

The settlement also requires the creation of a “Precinct-Level Advisory Board” (PLAB) for Suffolk’s seven police precincts. The PLABs, which will include religious leaders and members of civic organizations, will aim to help police address community concerns, foster new relationships with community leaders, and establish clear lines of communication. 

With Judge Kuntz’s approval, the terms of the settlement take effect immediately, and are enforceable by the Court. If SCPD does not do as promised in the settlement, the Court can direct them to comply or penalize the department. 

Suffolk will also pay each of the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit who alleged they were victims of race-based stops, detentions and other harassment to settle their individual claims. 

Civil rights advocates and firms and clients involved in the case said: 

“For the last eight years I have been a part of this lawsuit,” said Beatriz Ramirez Medina a plaintiff in the lawsuit. This settlement will change the lives of many in my community. SCPD will have to change their practices and promise to serve and protect Latinos in Suffolk County, just like everyone else. This agreement gives me hope that change can be achieved and that no one is above the law. I’m grateful and proud to stand with LatinoJustice and law firms like Milbank who work to ensure that our Latino community get treated with the respect and justice it deserves.”  

“Getting this settlement in place brings us one step closer to ensuring that Latinos in Long Island and in Suffolk County are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve,” said Lourdes M. Rosado, President and General Counsel of LatinoJustice PRLDEF. “This community has experienced abhorrent treatment by the same authorities who have taken an oath to protect them. Our Latino community in Suffolk County has endured enough. LatinoJustice vows to continue working to expand protections to shield our communities from discrimination, hostility, threats, and violence and racial discrimination.”   

“This settlement is built on transparency, accountability, oversight and community engagement – structural changes that will restore trust between community members and those responsible for protecting them,” Milbank partner Atara Miller said. “Milbank and LatinoJustice will make sure Suffolk County keeps its commitment to fair and equitable policing. We are optimistic that the 25 promises and changes that the County has committed to in this settlement will create the structure necessary to mitigate, identify and address discriminatory policing of Latinos in Suffolk County, and that the broken trust between the community and the people charged with protecting it can begin to be rebuilt.”  

*Live Stream of today’s press conference with affected clients can be found HERE.  

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About LatinoJustice 
LatinoJustice PRLDEF works to create a more just society by using and challenging the rule of law to secure transformative, equitable and accessible justice, by empowering our community and by fostering leadership through advocacy and education. For 50 years, LatinoJustice PRLDEF has acted as an advocate against injustices throughout the country. To learn more about LatinoJustice, visit www.LatinoJustice.org