The Protest Response Oversight (PRO) Unit was established in March 2025 following the City’s settlement of In Re: New York City Policing During Summer 2020 Demonstrations, No. 20-CV-8924(CM(GWG)(S.D.N.Y. 2023). In “Phase I” of the settlement agreement, NYPD will first finalize new policies, procedures, and training relating to how it responds to protests, demonstrations, and other First Amendment Activities (“FAAs”). After these policies are finalized, DOI will oversee a multi-year monitoring period in “Phase II” of the settlement agreement, in which DOI’s PRO Unit will review NYPD’s responses to selected FAAs in New York City and report to a Collaborative Review Committee comprised of the parties and chaired by the DOI Commissioner. DOI is responsible for, among other things, conducting the reviews of FAAs, determining NYPD’s compliance with settlement terms, reporting findings, and issuing recommendations. Phase II has not yet begun.

DOI’s PRO Unit is staffed by an Inspector General, two Special Counsels and two Senior Investigators.

If you have witnessed something at a protest in New York City that you would like to report, you can contact the PRO Unit on their hotline at: 212-825-6854