NYPD Flashlight Tactics Draw Complaints at NYCHA
A quarterly monitor report says officers have repeatedly shone flashlights to disperse residents socializing in New York City Housing Authority common areas.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Law Enforcement
Live Poll
Should police be allowed to shine flashlights to break up groups in your neighborhood?
The Office of the Community Liaison, which reports to the NYPD federal monitor, has documented complaints that officers repeatedly shine flashlights at NYCHA residents socializing outside their buildings to disperse them. The complaints were highlighted in a quarterly report released on November 9, 2026, the second of four reports for the year.
Why it matters
The reported practice affects residents' ability to gather in shared spaces in New York City public housing developments. The complaints surface ongoing scrutiny of NYPD conduct under the federal monitorship established in January 2022.
The Office of the Community Liaison has received flashlight complaints for about two years, and the November report is the second of four quarterly reports this year. The report does not state a total number of complaints, and it is unclear how many encounters have been documented.
The players
NYPD
The New York Police Department is the largest municipal police force in the United States, and its officers are the subject of the reported flashlight practice. The department operates under a federal monitorship following the 2013 ruling on stop and frisk.
Denerstein
Denerstein was appointed NYPD federal monitor in January 2022 to oversee reforms to the department's practices. The monitor's office receives reports from the Office of the Community Liaison.
The details
Residents report that officers position themselves near NYCHA common areas for extended periods and shine flashlights at groups until they leave. In September at the Sumner Houses in Bedford-Stuyvesant, two uniformed officers approached a group of young men, and one shoved a 19-year-old without speaking; no arrests or summonses were recorded.
Timeline
January 2022: Monitor Denerstein appointed as NYPD federal monitor.
About two years before the report: Office of the Community Liaison began receiving consistent flashlight complaints.
September 2026: Sumner Houses encounter involving a 19-year-old.
November 9, 2026: Quarterly report on flashlight complaints published.
Legal Context
The complaints follow a 2013 federal ruling that NYPD stop and frisk practices violated minorities' constitutional rights, which led to the appointment of a federal monitor in January 2022. The report shows that monitoring continues to track street-level encounters in NYCHA developments.
Residents of NYCHA developments may find officers repeatedly interrupting gatherings in shared courtyards and common areas. Residents who are stopped or dispersed can file complaints with the Office of the Community Liaison, which reports to the federal monitor.
The takeaway
Residents who experience encounters they consider improper can document them and submit complaints to the Office of the Community Liaison, whose quarterly reports are a public record of how those complaints are being tracked.
What happens next
The Office of the Community Liaison will publish its third quarterly report on flashlight complaints later this year.
Further reading
For broader context, explore more Law Enforcement coverage in New York City.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Daily News.
Live Poll
Should police be allowed to shine flashlights to break up groups in your neighborhood?
