All these recent settlements were unusual because they were made before any lawsuit had ever been filed, part of an aggressive push by New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer to quickly dispense with civil rights cases that otherwise could drag on for years in the courts and cost millions in legal fees.

And the comptroller's office has signaled a willingness to keep doing it, including possibly with the family of Eric Garner, who died following an encounter with police last summer.

"I do not accept the fact that the cost of settlements and judgments against the city have to rise every year," Stringer said in a statement to The Associated Press. "The more money we can save the city on claims and settlements, the more we will have to spend on affordable housing, education and social services."

Stringer has said the city spent $732 million in settlements and judgments in the fiscal year ending last June, an increase of $208 million from the prior year.