NYPD Sgt. Union: Community's continued disrespect of cops stems from 'lack of leadership' from police brass
The head of the NYPD sergeant’s union is blasting department brass saying community abuse of cops — as captured on video — comes from a “lack of leadership” at police headquarters.
In a letter to Police Commissioner James O’Neill on Thursday, Sergeants Benevolent Association President Ed Mullins demanded the top cop “publicly post a total clarification of your policies on enforcement of such quality of life offenses as marijuana possession or use and disorderly conduct.”
“Disdain for authority continues to increase, as does physical and verbal assaults on police officers in all five boroughs,” Mullins wrote. “Please make your position clear on what police officers can and cannot do in furtherance of their duties because they are conflicted, confused, disappointed and disillusioned and they do not know where you stand.”
Mullins’ note comes a day after the posting of a viral video of a man cursing out Sgt. Freddy Lopez at the 28th Precinct station house in Harlem.
The minute long clip, recorded on Monday, shows the man going off on a foul mouthed tirade at Lopez, who only warns him that he is prohibited to film inside the police station.
On Sunday, a video taken Aug. 8 shows cops getting heckled and cursed out of a Bronx building after responding to a call.
In a statement, the NYPD said the officers “exercised discretion and restraint” by not taking action, although union leaders were stunned by the treatment their members received.
Mullins claims that the videos show that “the lawlessness and complete lack of respect for police officers that has been so blatant under your tenure is no longer restricted to the streets.”
“You need not look further (than the videos),” he wrote. “More disturbing was a man who basically took ‘siege’ of the 28th Precinct, using his cellphone camera to verbally assault a sergeant and police officer who were on duty.”
Assistant Chief Patrick Conry, a police spokesman, responded, “The Police Commissioner is out each and every day, talking to cops across the Department about their needs and concerns, and hearing from cops directly about the challenges they face on the job. The truth bears no resemblance to the fiction in this letter, which should be rejected by everyone in the real world.”
One NYPD insider said the video was passed around to department administrators, who are ashamed no action was taken.
“A lot of bosses have seen the video and they are not happy at all about this,” the high-ranking officer said. “He should have taken some action. It was inside his own house.”
