An Investigation into NYPD's Criminal Group Database
Department of Investigation · report
DOI's Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD (OIG-NYPD) examined NYPD's use and operation of the Criminal Group Database (CGD), a gang-intelligence database operational since 2013 with about 16,000 entries. OIG-NYPD analyzed roughly 1,200 supporting documents for almost 500 individual entries, interviewed experts and advocacy groups, and reviewed gang database policies from more than three dozen large police departments. It found a lack of formal written policies, inconsistent adherence to NYPD's own inclusion procedures, delays in review of entries, no notification or appeal process for minors, and limited public transparency, and it made 17 recommendations.
- Released
- 2023-04-18
- Kind
- Investigation
Key findings
- The investigation did not identify a relationship between inclusion in the CGD and any individual adverse outcomes, though harm may be hard to determine because NYPD historically has not notified individuals of their inclusion. p. 1
- There is uncertainty and fear about CGD inclusion and its consequences in certain communities, which decreases public confidence in NYPD and strains community-police relations. p. 1
- NYPD does not provide sufficient guidance for the use of entry criteria, and in some cases is not strictly following its own procedural requirements for inclusion or maintaining sufficient documentation to support inclusion. p. 2
- NYPD does not inform minors or their parents of a minor's inclusion in the CGD and has no appeals process for minors, unlike certain other jurisdictions. p. 2
- Officers lacked guidance on the basis for entry renewals and at times did not create or maintain sufficient documentation to support renewal. p. 2
- Many of the key policies and practices relating to the CGD are not memorialized in writing. p. 2
What DOI recommended
- Within 180 days, NYPD should revise the Impact and Use Policy for the CGD to describe the inclusion, renewal, and removal processes, explain the evidence required to satisfy entry criteria, and name the external entities with whom NYPD may share CGD information. p. 2
- NYPD should require a multilevel review process, supported by reviewer signatures where required, for the inclusion, renewal, and removal of all CGD entries. p. 2
- NYPD should provide written guidance for officers on applying entry criteria, the bases for renewal, and completing the forms documenting the basis for inclusion and renewal. p. 2
- Within 180 days, NYPD should begin reviewing each CGD entry to determine whether inclusion is still warranted, and by written policy review all entries every 12 months for minors and every 18 months for adults. p. 2
- NYPD should notify parents or guardians within 60 days when a minor is included in the CGD, unless notification would interfere with active criminal investigations. p. 2
- NYPD should create a process for minors and their parents to appeal inclusion if the minor has no contact with law enforcement over a 12-month period. p. 3
- NYPD should isolate all sealed arrests from other CGD data and withhold sealed arrest data from all CGD users except where retrieval is explicitly authorized by law. p. 3
Entities in this report
- Police Department Subject
- Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD
- The Legal Aid Society
- G.A.N.G.S. Coalition
- Boston Police Department
- Chicago Police Department
In the council record
Council meetings after the report date where its subject came up.
- Committee on Public Safety Chair Feliz questioned Commissioner Tisch directly about the NYPD criminal group (gang) database, its purpose, current size of under 8,000 down from 2019, and the rules for reviewing and removing individuals including 2026-03-18