The Intercept. In 2014, NYC paid out $215 million in settlements to the victims of the NYPD. The department is sued around 4,000 times every year. Open Data Projects are a crucial tool in the fight for accountability, and the information they expose has led to more accountability from the cops. But police are costing cities millions of dollars in settlements and court costs each year, which means something is lacking. How about a massive database, searchable by the public, that lists the discipline/employment histories of current and prospective police officers? The city could then choose a policy of not hiring a cop with a history of beating down innocent citizens, which might save the city money and send a signal to other, short fused cops.
