That’s not even high, compared to some cities in the United States, according to recent reporting from the Washington Post.
The newspaper’s investigation found that 25 police and sheriff’s departments in the U.S, including Dallas, have spent a combined total of $3.2 billion between 2010-2020 to settle police misconduct lawsuits.
The investigation spotlighted police departments where repeated accusations of misconduct against the same officers has resulted in payouts totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars over time. A police officer in Detroit racked up misconduct settlements totaling $665,000 in 10 years. One officer in Boston had $5.2 million in settlements paid for him.
The City of Dallas paid about $10.1 million to settle police misconduct suits between 2010-2020, but none of them were due to repeat offenders, the newspaper reported.
Dallas was the only Texas city included in the report.
By comparison, Chicago has paid $528 million, Los Angeles has paid $215 million, Detroit has paid $48 million, and Baltimore has paid $41 million in the same time frame. In New York City, where 46% of claims were settled for officers named in multiple lawsuits, the 10-year total is $1.779 billion.
The vast majority of police misconduct lawsuits are settled without admission of wrongdoing, according to the report.
Police advocates say lawsuits against officers are common, and they’re often settled out of court to save the time and expense of a trial.