"This is not about poor leadership or isolated wrongdoing — it is about an organized, criminal abuse of public power," Donlon's lawyer, John A. Scola, said.

Nearly three dozen NYPD officers who the department now says never should have been hired or promoted will be allowed to remain on the force, for now, amid the ongoing scandal.

Tom Donlon, who briefly led the country’s largest police force in 2024, is calling for a federal takeover of the department

The allegations were made in a lawsuit filed by a former chief of detectives, James Essig, who said he was forced out of the NYPD after raising concerns about the promotions.

The NYPD’s former chief of detectives filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging he was forced out of the department and retaliated against because he raised concerns over what he viewed as improper promotions and transfers,

NYPD ousted 31 officers for hiring discrepancies amid corruption allegations and a lawsuit by former chief James Essig.

Federal prosecutors investigating Jeffrey Maddrey, who resigned over sexual abuse accusations, learned of the request during an investigation into overtime misuse in his office.