New York City Police Department

About New York City Police Department

The New York City Police Department is a municipal government agency, established in 1845, that polices New York City and employs roughly 33,000 officers and 15,000 civilian staff. Its in-house Legal Bureau, led by a Deputy Commissioner for Legal Matters who acts as the department's general counsel, interprets local, state and federal laws and advises the Police Commissioner on litigation and legislative developments.

Legal Bureau units handle civil matters such as Article 78 proceedings over Freedom of Information Law requests, defense of employment discrimination claims before human rights agencies, and litigation support for the New York City Law Department in police-action cases. Other units provide criminal and constitutional law guidance, track legislation at federal, state and local levels, bring civil enforcement actions such as nuisance abatement and vehicle forfeiture, and process subpoenas. Department headquarters is at One Police Plaza in New York, NY.

Practice areas

Areas of work that New York City Police Department describes on its own website. They describe the organization as a whole, not the practice of any individual attorney listed below.

Organization profile based on its official website and public sources (reviewed October 29, 2026). Attorney list from the New York State Unified Court System registration data. Not affiliated with New York City Police Department.

Registered attorneys

Registration status can change at any time. Confirm any attorney's current status through the official New York Attorney Search.