Maryland spends over $5.8 million yearly for police misconduct, study says

WASHINGTON - A new study looking at how much police departments spend on settlements due to police misconduct found that Maryland is one of the states that is spending the most. 

The study by legal funding company High Rise Financial took a look at police misconduct cases nationwide between October 2009 and July 2023. The study found that since 2009, Maryland has paid over $81.2 million on litigation settlements due to police misconduct. That averages out to $5.80 million a year on settlements due to violations like excessive use of force, discrimination and bias, unlawful arrests and detentions, and abuse of power.

Nationally, the U.S. has spent more than $2.3 billion on litigation settlements, according to the study. 

The state that has paid the most due to police misconduct is New York, with over $1 billion spent in the last 14 years. 

Maryland ranks fourth highest out of the nation, behind California in second with $332,455,000 and Illinois third with $330,105,000. 

D.C. also made the list at number ten, spending over $32 million on police misconduct settlements since 2009. 

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