By Yepoka Yeebo
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — The NYPD paid out nearly $1 billion in the past decade to resolve claims about everything from police brutality cases to patrol-car wrecks, the Associated Press reported.
Taxpayers have shelled out around $964 million in payouts, dwarfing other police departments around the country, the AP said, while noting that the NYPD is the nation's largest police department.
The $7.2 million settlement in the Sean Bell case was the largest payout ever in a police shooting case, the AP reported.
Some officers have been sued repeatedly, with one officer taking seven hits in brutality cases, and the Associated Press found law firms specializing in suing the city.
"Right now it's open season against the city. Just file a lawsuit, and you're going to get money," City Council member Peter Vallone told the AP. Vallone has sponsored a bill he says will make it harder to pay out sketchy claims.
Charles Shepherd was imprisoned for 14 years on a murder conviction based on a testimony from a witness who later admitted she'd lied. Shepherd settled in 2005 for $370,000 from the city and $1.65 million from the state.
"The city feels they can give you X amount of money" to make up for an injustice, Shepherd, 45, told the AP. "It's not fair whatsoever."
