CCRB head proposes new system to keep tabs on cops

The new head the Civilian Complaint Review Board wants to create a “CopStat”-type system to identify patterns of abuse and complaints in NYPD precincts and involving their officers.

“It will allow the department to be forewarned about issues percolating out there,” said Richard Emery at his first meeting as the head of the board Tuesday.

The information could be used for the additional training of officers and any transfers, hopefully reducing the number of complaints, he said.

The board is also creating an app for people to file grievances against cops from their cell phones, a board member said.

The suggestions come as the city investigates the death of Staten Island dad Eric Garner, who died after being put in a police chokehold last month.

Eric Garner

The incident has sparked heated discussions about cops’ use of force, specifically choke-holds, and police community relations.

Emery, a civil-rights lawyer appointed to the board by Mayor de Blasio, promised a report on chokeholds by September. Among other things, he said he’s looking at why 1,128 chokehold complaints led to just 10 substantiated cases.

A police source said the term “chokehold” has been broadly used and that investigators consider a stricter definition that includes obstruction of an airway when reviewing cases. Chokeholds are illegal in the department.

“It has become a buzzword, but a lot of the complaints about chokeholds turn out to be for other things like a headlock or grabbing someone’s collar,” the source said.

The NYPD has vowed to work with de Blasio and his supporters to consider recommendations for improving community relations, but high-ranking insiders said they don’t have enough information to comment on the CCRB’s ComStat-like idea or the complaint app.

One board member also suggested talking to officers exiting the Police Academy about the CCRB perspective before they are assigned to precincts “so they can do their job better.”

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