New York, New York - Data indicate that New York City has already paid out well over $82 million so far this year in settlements on lawsuits accusing NYPD officers of misconduct.

The Legal Aid Society noted that the total amount of taxpayer money spent on the settlements between January 1 and July 30 – $82,168,417 – is greater than in the full calendar years of 2018, 2019, and 2020.

"The NYPD has already cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars this year to foot the costs of alleged misconduct, and at this rate, total payouts for 2024 could balloon to over $140 million, the highest in years," Jennvine Wong, supervising attorney with Legal Aid's Cop Accountability Project, said in a statement.

"The 'no rules, no consequence' culture that thrives within the NYPD not only undermines public safety, but diverts precious taxpayer dollars away from critical services that New Yorkers depend upon," Wong continued.

"Most glaring, we can surmise that based on the NYPD’s refusal to discipline their own, many of the members of service named in these lawsuits are still on the job, earning their full salary, carrying a gun, wearing a badge, and policing our neighborhoods."

The Legal Aid Society previously found that just 10 officers were responsible for more than $68 million in payouts between 2013 and 2023.

Since 2018, Legal Aid says an astonishing $631,268,818 in taxpayer dollars have gone toward police misconduct lawsuits.