Who’s in charge of police in New York, the unions or the mayor?
That is the question that has arisen ever since the ambush murder of two NYPD officers by crazed gunman Ismaaiyl Brinsley on Dec. 20. Since then, the level of disrespect toward New York Mayor de Blasio has reached epic proportions as the rank and file cops feel betrayed over the mayor’s comments in support of protesters. The whole incident revolves around the police killing of unarmed black father Eric Garner last July due to an illegal chokehold. The grand jury’s decision not to indict NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo for Garner’s death sparked widespread protests against police brutality.
Police union officials have politicized the murder of the two officers in words and actions. Union officials believe that widespread protests against police brutality have increased the level of hostility against police officers and caused unfair scrutiny of their behavior. In response, the police unions are encouraging cops to now look the other way on petty crimes and only make arrests if absolutely necessary in order to remain safe. The results so far have been dramatic, based on the same time period from 2013:
–Citations for traffic violations fell by 94 percent, from 10,069 to 587, during that time frame.
–Summonses for low-level offenses like public drinking and urination also plunged 94 percent — from 4,831 to 300.
–Parking violations are down, dropping by 92 percent, from 14,699 to 1,241.
–Drug arrests by the NYPD’s Organized Crime Control Bureau dropped by 84 percent, from 382 to 63.
Police union officials claim that the reason arrests are down is because NYPD police officers are scared for their safety. However, an email has been circulating among the officers, which was allegedly sent by a powerful police union. Among the items in the email were the following demands and requests:
“At least two units are to respond to EVERY call, no matter the condition or severity, no matter what type of job is pending, or what the opinion of the patrol supervisor happens to be.”
“IN ADDITION: Absolutely NO enforcement action in the form of arrests and or summonses is to be taken unless absolutely necessary and an individual MUST be placed under arrest.”
The email seems to have been effective as Mayor de Blasio’s office has had numerous meetings with police union officials over the matter. As tensions grow there is fear among many NYPD officers that copycat killings could occur as happened during the 1970s.
