'It Makes Us Feel Like the Trial Itself Was a Sham'

In February, NYPD Administrative Judge Rosemarie Maldonado issued a rare ruling: She said police officer Jonathan Rivera should be fired for shooting and killing 31-year-old Allan Feliz on October 17, 2019, during a traffic stop. 

For his family, Maldonado's decision was a hopeful indication that the officer who killed Feliz might be held accountable.

But Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who began her tenure by promising to hold officers who commit misconduct accountable, didn't agree with her own department's judge. In July, she declined to fire the cop.

Earlier this month Tisch doubled down on her decision to allow Rivera, now a lieutenant, to stay on the force. Her decision came over the objections of the Civilian Complaint Review Board, which stood firmly behind Maldonado's determination that Rivera's testimony was in parts "fabricated" and "self-serving."