New York, NY – The head of an agency that handles civilian complaints against police officers resigned abruptly today, citing a pending lawsuit and other conflicts of interest that prevent him from properly fulfilling his responsibilities to the watchdog agency.
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Richard Emery announced his departure as chairman of the Civilian Complaint Review Board today after discussing the matter with Mayor de Blasio.
Emery has been sharply criticized for strongly worded statements, saying that heads of the police union have been “squealing like a stuck pig” and referring to female staffers by a derogatory term, which resulted in Emery being slapped with lawsuits for his remarks. Emery has also drawn heat because his law firm accepts fees in misconduct claims filed by members of the NYPD, which is viewed as a conflict of interest with his role at the CCRB.
“The issues of inhibitions on my law practice, several of my recent public statements and recent litigation have created daily distractions from the success of the CCRB,” said Emery, noting that his resignation was in the best interests of the CCRB.
Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association Patrick Lynch had called for Emery’s resignation yesterday according to The Daily News.
“We have to question if a man who referred to New York City police officers as pigs and is now being sued for using a derogatory term to female staffers has the temperament to sit in judgment of police officers’ behavior,” said Lynch. “We have called for Richard Emery’s dismissal or resignation in the past to no avail, but now it should be clear to any reasonable person that he must go.”