The CCRB simply “rubber stamps” the findings of investigators rather than using their own judgment — and the worst board member of the bunch is former NYPD Chief Joseph Fox, the city’s largest police union charges.
The Police Benevolent Association states in a letter to Mayor Adams obtained by The Post that the Civilian Complaint Review Board “includes a police commissioner appointee who votes against police officers more than the public advocate appointee.”
“This suggests that this board is profoundly out of balance,” the five-page missive sent Thursday states, calling on officials to bring the board into balance with future appointments.
Fox, a retired NYPD chief of transit, was appointed to the CCRB by Police Commissioner Edward Caban last year, voted to substantiate 476 of 545 cases against police officers from August 2023 to April 2024, or 87% of the time, a union source said.
“It’s boss syndrome,” the source said. “He still wants to be a boss. It seems like he’s personally disciplining these cops.”
But the CCRB pointed out that Fox has reviewed 24,982 allegations against cops since he was appointed.
In 20,962 of those cases, investigators didn’t recommend substantiation and Fox agreed 99% of the time, a source with knowledge of the board decisions said.
Fox said he was chosen for the position because of his “professionalism, integrity and good judgment.”
“Every month I see cases where I may have an opinion that differs from the conclusion of the investigator,” Fox said. “I bring those positions to meetings with other board members.”
The PBA letter also blames the watchdog agency for rising attrition among the rank-and-file and falling recruitment.
“As you know, with nearly 200 police officers leaving the NYPD every month and hiring barely keeping pace with attrition, the loss of even more dedicated, talented police officers will undoubtedly impact the department’s operations,” the missive contends.
One Harlem police officer with more than a decade on the job told The Post he was a step closer to leaving after a recent incident left him facing CCRB charges for trying to help a teen.
The officer, who asked to remain anonymous, said he ran out to a call of an officer in need of help in 2022. At the scene he saw that a detective detaining a teen in a shooting.
“I’m standing there in front of the kid and he’s a young kid,” the cop, who has a son, said. “He looks nervous. He looks scared.”
The cop chatted with the teen about school and baseball because he was wearing a Yankees logo and assured him that if he’s the wrong person he would be let go.
When cops realized he was the wrong guy, they did let him go, the officer said.
A couple of hours later, the officer saw the teen in the stationhouse with his parents. He explained what happened and gave them his identification.
The cop was dumbstruck when CCRB later levied “a ton of allegations” against him, including abuse of authority, illegal stop and frisk and failure to use his body camera.
“I wasn’t the person who stopped him,” the officer said.
The charges were all dropped against him except for no camera. But the blemish remains on his record.
“I know this is a job, but as a human being I did the right thing,” the officer said.