Quickly after he was named police commissioner by Mayor Adams, Thomas Donlon made it a precedence to look at the proof storage practices in NYPD warehouses across the metropolis.
He was surprised at what he discovered — after which shocked on the response from police brass, in keeping with his blockbuster lawsuit filed Wednesday alleging high NYPD officers operated a “corrupt enterprise” that rewarded cronies and punished enemies.
They didn’t applaud his initiative. They acquired offended.
Two years earlier in December 2022, a large hearth attributable to {an electrical} “blowout” or explosion within the division’s Erie Basin advanced in Crimson Hook destroyed many years of supplies together with essential DNA proof. Gasoline for the fireplace, it was discovered, got here from cardboard containers, barrels and paper luggage used to retailer the proof.
Inside days of the blaze, the NYPD promised “a careful accounting” of what was misplaced. However after Donlon grew to become commissioner and requested then Chief of Division Jeffrey Maddrey for a “final comprehensive report” on the fireplace, he was instructed none was obtainable, the lawsuit states.
Former Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon. (Shawn Inglima for New York Every day Information)
Donlon’s view was the actual fact the trigger was identified “does not excuse the NYPD’s apparent failure to thoroughly investigate such a critical event,” the lawsuit states.
Donlon determined to go to warehouses himself, the lawsuit states. In a single go to, he discovered “decades of evidence, vital to countless cases, haphazardly piled in cardboard boxes and paper barrels, devoid of proper labeling, fireproof storage, or any systematic categorization,” the lawsuit states.
“Aisles were unmarked, logs non-existent,” Donlon’s lawsuit continues. “Evidence from the NYPD’s Information Technology Bureau, cases dating back to 1981, sat in decaying cardboard boxes” moderately than fireproof or steel containers.
He alleges there was an absence of security protocols, hearth prevention practices, and correct constructing inspections. Drug contraband, hazardous supplies have been saved with out apparent documentation. A few of the amenities lacked functioning warmth and air con.
He additionally found there was no “functional” monitoring system to find proof, he claims within the swimsuit. Some proof was scattered or inconsistently marked and at the least one cop on his visits questioned whether or not the fireplace suppression techniques labored.
hearth
FDNY fireboats work on a three-alarm hearth at at NYPD warehouse at 700 Columbia Road in Brooklyn, New York Metropolis on December 13, 2022. (Gardiner Anderson afor New York Every day Information)
There was additionally minimal effort to guard the case proof – which he notes within the lawsuit “might exonerate the innocent,” but additionally “handed” protection legal professionals a tactical benefit that probably weakens prosecutions.
Adams Wednesday mentioned Donlon’s accusations in opposition to the division have been “baseless.”
“We’re moving forward, the courts will handle that,” he mentioned. “Lawsuit’s baseless, disgruntled employee, this is caught up in the environment right now of all the politics. It’s a baseless suit.”
Elizabeth Felber of the Authorized Help Society mentioned her workplace requested an inventory of proof misplaced within the hearth just a few days afterward. However thus far, two years and 7 months later, the NYPD has but to reply.
“We can sort of accept them ignoring defense counsel, but it’s really shocking that this former police commissioner was treated the same way,” mentioned Felber, supervising lawyer of the Wrongful Conviction Unit.
“It speaks volumes about the attitude of the mayor and the NYPD, that somehow they are above the law, that they aren’t accountable when negligence takes place,”
“It just another manifestation of how it’s such a low priority for them,” she added.
In June 2023, Council Member Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan) held a listening to on the warehouse hearth fall out. Felber testified as did Mariah Martinez of New York County Defender Companies.
Brooklyn hearth
Bystanders watch as a large hearth engulfs an NYPD warehouse at 700 Columbia St. in Brooklyn, New York Metropolis on Dec. 13, 2022. (Gardiner Anderson for New York Every day Information)
“We are unable to identify how many of our current and past cases have been impacted because the NYPD has refused to provide any detailed account of the scope of the fire’s damage,” Martinez mentioned. “The NYPD’s silence on the matter is alarming.”
The NYPD didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark. However on the 2023 Council listening to, NYPD official Michael Clark blamed Hurricane Sandy for beforehand damaging proof on the warehouse. He mentioned storing proof in cardboard or paper barrels is the best solution to protect organic proof.
After his warehouse visits, Donlon states within the lawsuit he held conferences with Maddrey, First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella, then Chief of Patrol John Chell after which Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry, now a deputy mayor, to underscore his concern.
However, he writes within the swimsuit, the police officers acquired offended that Donlon had opened that may of worms.
Maddrey was “livid.” the lawsuit alleges, and complained to Mayor Adams. It’s not clear from the lawsuit what the mayor did after Maddrey’s grievance.
In the long run, no motion was taken, Donlon’s swimsuit states.
“This horrific and embarrassing mess demanded immediate attention, yet those at the highest levels failed to act,” the lawsuit alleges. “The scale of necessary reforms is massive and absolutely essential.”
Initially Revealed: July 17, 2025 at 10:35 AM EDT
