LEMIO Report

LEMIO: What the State Already Knows — and Still Refuses to Act On

In 2021, in the wake of the George Floyd murder and National call for police accountability against abuse, New York State created the Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigative Office, or LEMIO. That was supposed to change everything.

Its mission was bold and long overdue: to hold law enforcement officers accountable when local systems of justice fail. But 

What LEMIO Is Supposed to Do

LEMIO exists within the Office of the New York State Attorney General Letitia James, and its role is to investigate patterns of abuse, expose corruption, and ensure that bad officers don’t remain protected by silence or bureaucratic delay.

But here’s the problem: LEMIO has not widely exposed wrongdoing—and shown that it can’t fix it.

If you haven’t heard of LEMIO, you’re not alone. The vast agency, which has jurisdiction over 500 police departments across New York State, has virtually no articles or media coverage. 

Why the hidden site is failing:

It doesn’t have the authority to prosecute. It can’t compel a judge to reopen a case. It can’t override a district attorney’s refusal to investigate.

In other words, it’s a watchdog that can bark—but not bite.

NY Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigative Office (LEMIO) – What It Says

Highlights:

  • The 2024 LEMIO report identifies former Officer Lane Schlesinger as engaging in:
    • Falsified evidence
    • Pattern misconduct
    • Abuse of authority
  • Officer Sean Kane, also involved in Marc’s arrest, was suspended in 2024 for allegedly planting drugs on video.

“What good is a watchdog if no one listens to it?” – Marc Fishman

Explore the full report:

lemio-2024-annual-reportDownload