Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace has chosen not to prosecute a police officer involved in a contentious arrest in Peekskill after examining video and eyewitness testimony for several weeks.
The decision has caused much outrage, with many, including The Westchester Coalition for Police Reform (WCPR), who released a strongly-worded statement condemning the decision, on Tuesday.
The WCPR strongly condemns District Attorney Susan Cacace’s decision not to file criminal charges against the police officers involved in the violent assault of Damar Fields on December 3, 2025, at Waterfront Park in Peekskill.
Damar Fields, an unarmed man with emotional disabilities who was known by Peekskill Police, was beaten and tased three times by armed officers. The decision not to pursue charges sends a dangerous message that excessive force against vulnerable people will go unpunished.
This outcome is deeply troubling, not only for Damar Fields and his family, but for every resident who participated in good faith in Westchester’s police reform process following the murder of George Floyd. That year-long effort, required by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order, was meant to center on de-escalation, accountability, and respect for human dignity. The District Attorney’s decision undermines that work and erodes public trust.
Serious questions remain unanswered:
- Why was the Project Alliance Mobile Crisis Response Team, designed to respond to mental health crises, not activated?
- Why did no officer intervene, despite a clear duty-to-intervene policy intended to prevent excessive force?
We reiterate our call for the charges against Damar Fields to be dropped immediately. A person experiencing a mental health crisis should not be criminalized.
When prosecutors decline to act, calls for accountability must not end. We call for independent review, legislative oversight, and systemic reforms to ensure that no one, especially armed government officials, is above the law.
This is not how our communities choose to be policed. We reject policing rooted in violence and impunity, particularly toward people with emotional disabilities.
Accountability is not anti-police. Transparency creates trust. Damar Fields deserves justice.
Our communities deserve better.
The DA’s office has referred the matter back to the Peekskill police chief for an internal investigation. Stay Tuned to Black Westchester for more on this developing story!
The description of the incident is slanted. They’re leaving out that the man repeatedly threatened the police officer, lunged at officers, and refused to comply with any of their directives. The police were called on this man for a reason 😒
New DA, Same Result SMH!!!