READ MORE: Benjamin Crump: Floyd family to file civil suit against killer cop Derek Chauvin
For example, in spite of the well-publicized settlement New York City reached with the family of Eric Garner, Daniel Pantaleo — the NYPD officer who choked Garner to death in 2014 — never personally compensated the Garner family.
So, if a police officer were to search your car without a warrant; or stop you without probable cause; or brutalize you to the point of death — like George Floyd and so many others — Travelers and other insurers tell cities: We’ve got you covered.
And though Chicago has paid over $700 million and New York City over $1.1 billion to victims of police misconduct in the last decade, revelations that cities are subsidizing police brutality with taxpayer money has not mobiPreview (opens in a new tab)lized reform.
And while New York City, with an annual budget exceeding $80 billion per year, may be able to absorb the costs of its officer misconduct, small towns are not so nimble and many are already insuring their liabilities for police misconduct.
In 2015, former Washington Post reporter Abby Phillips reported that denial of coverage by one of the preferred insurers forced the City of Inkster, Michigan, a town of about 25,000, to raise taxes $179 per household to pay for just a $1.4 million police brutality settlement.
