"I cannot imagine how the family of Allan Feliz feels to learn that there will be no meaningful response from the NYPD to the unjust killing of their unarmed relative. I have stood with them at many moments, and this culmination of efforts must bring immense pain. Lt. Rivera will walk away from this incident still an officer, while Allan cannot not walk away at all.
"In the past, this commissioner has shown a willingness to increase accountability, and with it, trust. This frustrating decision to abandon accountability undercuts those goals.
"It's hard to accept that the known facts around the killing of Allan Feliz could lead to a determination of no wrongdoing, that his killer should remain on the force. While it’s true that the Attorney General did not move forward with a criminal case, the administrative standard for discipline is very different, and that standard was clearly met in the administrative trial – both through Lt. Rivera’s conduct in the incident and in his lack of credibility. Even at this lower standard, it is extremely rare that an administrative judge recommends accountability, much less termination, as they had in this case.
"To see that accountability denied today, even when the threshold was reached, to see it reversed by a commissioner who has held out hope for accountability within the department, is harmful both in this case and to the future of justice in policing."
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