Among Rice’s accomplishments as chair, she listed leading an investigation into the NYPD response to 2020 protests over the murder of George Floyd. Additionally, she oversaw the reduction of a backlog in cases that built up during the coronavirus pandemic.
Adams, a former NYPD captain who campaigned on getting crime under control, has seen CCRB complaints against police officers more than double during his tenure.
The Legal Aid Society, in a statement, laid the blame for Rice’s departure squarely on Adams, saying he has engaged in a “death-by-a-thousand-cuts campaign” against safeguards designed to hold the NYPD accountable.
“This Administration continues to prioritize the NYPD’s impunity over building trust between the Department and the New Yorkers that they are sworn to serve,” the group said. “A city devoid of the necessary safeguards to check police misconduct weakens public safety and reinforces a sentiment that officers are above the law and that the rest of us are all de facto second-class citizens.”
On the other hand, the Police Benevelent Association — the NYPD’s largest union — celebrated Rice’s departure. PBA President Patrick Hendry, in a statement, called the change “very welcome news” and toward replacing “anti-police activists” on the board.
“The PBA has been calling for new appointments to CCRB’s board who can instill fairness in its decision-making processes and bring it in line with its City Charter mandate,” Hendry said. “Unfair treatment at CCRB doesn’t just destroy police officers’ morale — it jeopardizes public safety by driving even more cops out of the NYPD amid the ongoing staffing crisis.”