New York City will pay out more than $285,000 and clear the record of a hero officer who was repeatedly punished by NYPD brass for exposing arrest quotas in a Bronx precinct, his lawyers announced today, reports the New York Post.
Craig Matthews — one of two officers who shot a dangerous gunman outside the Empire State Building in 2012 — will pocket $125,000 in damages and more than $30,000 in lost overtime in a deal to settle his federal civil rights suit.
The city will also toss a negative 2011 work evaluation and free Matthews from "command monitoring" of his job performance.
The New York Civil Liberties Union, which has represented Matthews since 2012, will collect $130,000 under the agreement.
"This settlement completely vindicates Officer Matthews, who had the courage to speak out about illegal police quotas and suffered serious retaliation for having done so," NYCLU Associate Legal Director Christopher Dunn said.
Matthews alleged that he got lousy assignments and reviews, was denied overtime and leave, and was separated from his longtime partner for revealing a "highly developed quota system" at the 42nd Precinct.
The New York Police Department denies that it has ticket quotas.
