NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The man in charge of investigating misconduct in New York City prisons was forced to resign after leaning on investigators to overlook abuse, according to a new report issued by the federal monitor assigned to oversee the New York City Department of Correction.
Deputy Investigations Commissioner Manuel Hernandez, 63, resigned on Friday. The report released on Monday said he failed to analyze evidence and closed cases where excessive use of force likely occurred.
The retired NYPD lieutenant was appointed in May by Correction Commissioner Louis Molina, who used to serve under Hernandez in the 6th Precinct.
Serena Townsend, the woman who held the position before Hernandez, accused Molina of firing her after she refused to wrap up 2,000 cases in only 100 days.
“He either didn’t understand the process or he just wanted me to dismiss cases,” Townsend told the New York Daily News at the time. “That was troubling. "
Once Hernandez was installed, the department started closing a large number of cases without taking disciplinary action, according to the monitor’s report.
“There was evidence that the investigations division was not consistently addressing or analyzing the available evidence and their conclusions did not appear to be objective,” the report said. “Staff had been influenced or prompted, either overtly or implicitly, to adopt a more lenient approach when assessing cases and to change their practice in ways that compromised the quality of the investigations.”
The report did not specify the number of compromised cases.
The federal monitor believes “misconduct is prevalent” in New York City prisons, despite a disproportionately low punishment rate by the investigations commissioner.
Ten officers were fired for use of force violations in 2022, a significant increase from previous years, but far less than what was necessary, according to the report.
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