Results tagged “police”

Volunteers for the New York Civil Liberties Union are present in some 20 public high schools this week to educate students on their rights when interacting with school safety agents and police officers. Students at select schools with metal detectors, high suspension rates and a heavy police presence are being handed cards [pdf] telling them when and how to object to searches. According to the cards, if a student feels "disrespected," that's enough of a basis to lodge a formal complaint against school safety officers. The NYCLU has been arguing that schools are relying too heavily on the NYPD to enforce school discipline, but according to the Post, critics think the group is "creating a confrontational tone" at the start of the school year. And City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., chairman of the public-safety committee, growls, "It's ridiculous to give children the impression that police are the enemy. Kids only need to know one word when it comes to the police and that's 'cooperate.' " But familiarity with words like "bend" and "over" might also come in handy.

A reader sends us these pictures from the Brooklyn Bridge and says, "Police are trying to talk him down. Crowd on bridge yelling for him not to jump." The jumper is at about mid-span. Update: Looks like the police and crowd were successful: We hear that the man was talked down and is now in police custody.

Chrissie Brodigan, the subway rider whose confrontation with a police officer over her sick pug escalated into her arrest and various accusations (hers, witnesses), let us know that her case will be heard in criminal court next month. While two citations issued to her were ruled "invalid" a few weeks ago, there was were still some charges left. Brodigan tells us, "Today, the judge offered me an ACD, Adjourned in Contemplation. Basically, it's an offer that in 6 months the charges, which read 'loud and boisterous,' would be dismissed in 6 months if I would admit guilt." She declined to take the ACD, because then she "would not be allowed to sue the city for the wrongful arrest." The NYPD's Civilian Complaint Review Board is also investigating the matter.

The police have released a photograph of a man who was allegedly masturbating on an uptown 3 train last week. A 41-year-old woman took a cellphone picture of the man she claims was pleasuring himself in front of her. The man got on the train at 42nd Street/Times Square at 3:45 p.m. and then got out at the 96th Street stop. And 1010WINS adds, "The woman says she tried to lodge a complaint at the 32nd Precinct and provide police there with the suspect's photograph but was apparently rebuffed by an officer who, according to the complainant, told her it was not a police matter and to report it through 311." The police urge people with information to call Crime Stoppers (800-577-TIPS), go to the Crime Stoppers website or text 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. And Internal Affairs is looking into the "not a police matter" part.

Just yesterday city officials were bitching about how the Justice Department wasn't giving NYC a dime from the $1 billion economic-stimulus money intended to help cities avoid laying off cops. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder explained that, "These officers will go to where they are needed most, based on crime rates, financial need and community policing activities." In other words, crime is relatively low here, and other places (like the mean streets of Caribou, Maine) need help more. Mayor Bloomberg fumed to reporters, "To punish our Police Department because they have driven down crime with fewer resources shows the backwards incentive system that is sometimes at work in Washington."

This police blotter story in the Brooklyn Paper has it all: violence, Brooklyn, hipsters, the NYPD, puke, and lots and lots of alcohol. According to police reports, earlier this month a 28-year-old and his girlfriend were enjoying one too many drinks at the Bushwick Country Club. The young man started vomiting at the bar at 2:45 a.m., but refused to leave upon the encouragement of all those around him, including staff. But when the vomit landed on one employee's shirt, things went "from disgusting to dangerous" (or really just a hybrid of the two). After being forced out of the venue, "a female bartender doused the victim in water and struck him in the head with a plastic bucket—leaving a laceration that required seven stitches. Then a gang of drinkers from the bar roughed up the victim on the sidewalk in front of the venue." Can a plastic bucket really do that much damage? Anyway, the real story here is that the PBR-fueled hipsters turned on one of their own. Is this the beginning of the end?

As his police force mourns the death of a police officer killed in the line of duty, Jersey City Police Chief Thomas Comey spoke about the recent number of violent incidents, "This department has suffered through several unusual occurrences over the last five days. These incidents are aberrations. This is a safe city."

If you think Windows Vista bugs are hurting your productivity, just be thankful you're not still struggling with typewriter ribbon and jammed keys. That's what the NY Post reports hundreds of city cops must do thanks to the NYPD's reliance on outdated technology, and it's slowing down policework. One cop tells the Post the typewriters are so archaic that, "We have to sneak around the rest of the precinct in search of a ribbon to steal." The Post also cites a retired NYPD officer and criminal justice professor who concludes the inefficient machines are hobbling the NYPD, discouraging officers from making arrests because filling out the necessary forms requires use of the dinosaurish typewriters and carbon-paper. So when will the city finally pull police office technology out of the 1970s? Well, since the city signed more than $1 million in new typewriter purchasing and servicing contracts last year, it's looking like robots could rule the subways before the NYPD ditches its last Selectric.

Some Windsor Terrace residents say they're fed up with the NYPD's failure to do anything about the late night cacophony from skateboarders in Bartel-Pritchard Square, at the intersection of Prospect Park West and Prospect Park Southwest. So they reached out to City Councilmember Bill de Blasio, who held a community meeting last night in an attempt to resolve the age old problem of skateboarding, adolescence, and rowdiness. Local resident Jim Rallis tells YourNabe that on the night of June 13th, the teens were so obstreperous that he called the police. When they didn’t respond quickly enough, he says, "I went down there to tell them to be quiet and one of them pulled a box−cutter out and put it against my body."

The NY Post reports today that the city will pay $25,000 to a Brooklyn man as part of a settlement deal in a case involving the NYPD. Jangir Sultan, a 32-year-old Brooklyn native of South Asian heritage, had sued the police for racial profiling after they stopped and searched him 21 times at different subway stations around the city. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne maintains the searches are conducted randomly, settlement nonwithstanding: "We did not stop him based upon his concerns...The fact that he was stopped for other reasons is untrue." Of course, the chances of being stopped 21 times for a truly random search are something astronomical, but sometimes it's easier to shell out a few grand than get bogged down in dirty details. Plus, it seems the police have their hands full with a different subway case anyway.

Though there's been a surge in assaults in some downtown neighborhoods like Greenwich Village, the NYPD says New York's fifteen year decline in crime continues unabated, with an overall drop of 12% so far this year. But some New Yorkers, like Harlem's Kone Mahamadou, tell a different story: "If you walk these streets, especially at night, you know crime is definitely not down. It's not safe. I don't know where they get these statistics." Some say the NYPD's stats are skewed because officers have been known to discourage crime victims from filling out police reports, but David Kennedy, director of the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at John Jay College, says the bad economy is just messing with everyone's heads: "All objective information says things are no worse, and maybe a little better, but residents think things are going in a ditch." Tell that to 20-year-old East New York resident Tianna Sanchez; the NYPD says robberies and grand larcenies are down by double digits in the area, but she tells the News, "You can't sit on a bench because you are scared there will be shootings. They were shooting on my baby's birthday. It was 90 degrees out, and we had to go in the house."

Though undercover cops recently arrested one pervert, there never seems to be a shortage! Take this terrible story recounted on HollaBack. A reader said that on a D train this morning, between Atlantic-Pacific and Grand, "I was napping with my iPod on, and I woke up because I felt something repeatedly hitting and rubbing up to my arm. When I looked down, I saw an uncircumcised penis being masturbated right on top of my arm. Luckily, he hadn't finished yet. (Though the police mentioned that it would have been better to have DNA evidence. Ew.) I immediately screamed something like 'OH MY GOD, GET OFF OF ME YOU SICK MOTHERFUCKER!' At that point, the man mumbled something like 'sorry' and walked quickly through the crowd to the other side of the train. I was stunned that no one tried to stop him, and even shifted to let him through. I screamed again 'DID ANYONE SEE THAT? THAT ASSHOLE WAS MASTURBATING ON ME!'" (Read the full story here.)The HollaBack reader took the man's photograph while he pretended to be asleep and reported him to the cops, but because he's still at large, a happy, um, ending remains elusive.

As promised, the NYPD cracked down on drivers talking on cell phones yesterday, issuing approximately 4,000 tickets by the time the evening rush hour began. According to the Post, police typically issue about 500 such tickets on a normal day. One of the unlucky thousands caught up in the dragnet was a Daily News reporter assigned to cover the ticket blitz; after getting a call from his editor, Edgar Sandoval heard "the dreaded police siren." He futilely tried to talk his way out of it by saying, "Funny story, Officer. I'm actually working on a story about this for the paper."

Payouts from the NYPD in settlements and judgments soared during the last fiscal year, according to a report from Comptroller William Thompson detailing the city's payouts. Overall, the city paid $567.9 million as a result of lawsuits, an increase of about 2% over the previous time period. But the NYPD's payouts increased 11% percent, to $102.8 during fiscal year 2008, which ended September 30th. Of that amount, $35.2 million was paid in settlements over charges of improper police action, up 40% over the previous year.

Police and firefighters park their vehicles at expired meters and in the middle of bike lanes all over town, but in Brooklyn the violations are particularly rampant, prompting outrage on blogs like Brownstoner. Now the Daily News has chimed in, confirming a "slew of trouble spots" where unmarked vehicles belonging to cops, firefighters and other government workers park illegally with impunity. On Jay Street reporters found 18 cars parked at expired meters; most "appeared" to be owned by cops or firefighters. Over on Adams Street, more than 20 cars were parked in a "No Standing Anytime" zone last week, displaying various permits including the NYPD and the court officers union. Also on Adams, a Chevy Blazer with a police department placard was parked in the bike lane. As anyone cyclist knows, cops love bike lane parking, and other motorists routinely block bike lanes with impunity. A spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg reminded the News that the city has slashed the number of placards issued to government workers by 54%. But Michael Burke of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership says parking laws need to be enforced because "it adds to a sense of lawlessness in the community."

Two undercover cops are being formally indicted today on charges that they framed two brothers and their friends in a drug bust at Club Delicioso in Elmhurst. Last January Officer Henry Tavarez and Detective Stephen Anderson were part of a team performing a “buy-and-bust” operation at the nightclub, resulting in six arrests. But prosecutors say Tavarez did not actually buy any blow, and instead used some of the cocaine bought by Anderson as evidence against four men who had simply been hanging out outside the club. Luckily for them, the defendants were able to obtain a copy of the surveillance video proving they never had any contact with the officers, and the charges against them were ultimately dropped. Both officers are now accused of conspiracy, official misconduct, and according to the Queens D.A., "knowingly engaging in criminal activity that could have resulted in lengthy prison terms for four innocent men."

As expected, NYPD officer Patrick Pogan, the rookie cop caught on video slamming a cyclist to the curb in a seemingly unprovoked assault during a July Critical Mass ride, turned himself in this morning. The grand jury indictment was then unsealed at State Supreme Court in Manhattan, and, according to NY1, Pogan was arraigned on a misdemeanor assault charge and a felony charge of filing a false report. (After arresting cyclist Christopher Long that night, Pogan accused Long of attempting assault, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct, contending that Long rode his bike straight into him, knocking them both down. Those charges against Long were later dropped.)

Here rookie, have a machine gun. NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly is making sure 1,000 rookie police officers assigned to Times Square on New Year's Eve are ready to rock with M4 automatic machine guns. Recruits at the academy will get three days of training to familiarize them with the weapon, which until now had only been used by officers in the NYPD's elite Emergency Service Unit. The New York Post exclusive is a bit vague on whether the cops will be given the machine guns during the festivities or if they'll only be armed in the event of a Mumbai-inspired massacre. Either way, isn't it a comfort to know that Ryan Seacrest, Taylor Swift, and The Jonas Brothers could all go down simultaneously in a blaze of Barney Fife automatic gunfire? (You know Dick Clark isn't sweating it; that dude's like the Highlander.)

The NY Post reports that police are "hunting for a serial rapist who prowls Manhattan's Union Square subway station for young Asian women to follow home and brutally attack." Two women were raped in their building vestibules, while the suspect "has attempted to assault two others since Oct. 1." His M.O: Waiting for women to unlock their apartment building's door and then he "pounces from behind - choking his victims unconscious before" attacking them (following victims into their buildings is a very common M.O.). Chillingly, three of the attacks occurred on one day: October 20. Police, who believe there may be more victims, tell the Post the suspect is 6 feet tall, 170 pounds, and in his late 20s. Contact CrimeStoppers at 800-577-TIPS or text CRIMES (274637) and enter "TIP577".

A reader tells us that the notoriously loud and trendy Delicatessen in Soho was closed this morning, sealed off with police tape, and crawling with cops. Along with the photo, he writes: "To the left of the two cops is a distraught manager-type telling me not to take pictures."

As spontaneous parties broke out on every corner last night (just check out St. Mark's Place), things got a little bit crazy in Williamsburg once Barack Obama was declared leader of the free world--and there's nothing like a peaceful celebration to bring out the cops in riot gear! One tipster writes in about a reveler's run-in with the long arm of the law on North 7th and Bedford.

We were trying to get onto the sidewalk, as requested but hard to do when it is packed. The police pushed my boyfriend because he wasn't moving fast enough and when he spoke back to them the incident escalated.

Continue reading "Celebration Leads to Arrests in Williamsburg"

The four officers accused of sodomizing a man with a radio antenna or baton after he resisted arrest in a Brooklyn subway station have been stripped of their guns and badges, an NYPD source tells the Post. The officers were ordered to report to the 71st Precinct station house in Brooklyn yesterday to be put on "modified duty." A lawyer for a fifth officer, who is believed to be supporting the victim's explosive allegation, reportedly met with prosecutors yesterday to brief them on his client's account of the incident.

Things are not looking good for the officers who have been accused of sodomizing Michael Mineo in the Prospect Park subway station on October 15th. The NY Post reports that three of the officers accused have had their police lockers removed. The paper says that the NYPD has also taken away the badge and gun Officer Alex Cruz, the cop whose radio and baton are currently being tested for forensic evidence to support Mineo's accusations. As for the anonymous transit cop who is speculated to be in the process of breaking ranks and testifying to the DA against his fellow officers in the case, his lawyer talked to the press yesterday and emphasized that his client was in no way involved with the arrest and assault that allegedly took place.

Sources in the NYPD say that a transit officer who participated in the arrest of Michael Mineo in a Brooklyn subway station earlier this month has broken ranks and will support Mineo's explosive sodomy allegation.

Two female NYPD cops accused of brutally beating a man during a road rage incident in August were indicted today by a Bronx grand jury. You'll recall the charges stem from an altercation between officers Michelle Anglin and Kollen Robinson—who were off-duty at the time—and Marlon Smith, who mouthed off to the pair after they yelled at him to shut his car door so they could pass by in Robinson's SUV. F-bombs ensued, followed by a pistol-whipping. When Smith tried to shut his door to drive away, Anglin allegedly blasted him with pepper spray, yelling, "Do you know who you are f------ with? We are the police!" And it emerged today that they're also accused of beating a witness with a baton when he tried to break up the fight. The cops face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the more serious assault charge.

The NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating an explosive allegation made by a Brooklyn man who says five cops beat him and then sodomized him with a walkie-talkie antenna inside the Prospect Park B and Q subway station. One NYPD source tells the Daily News, "This is a bad one. It looks like one of the cops inserted his radio antenna in the victim's rectum."

Cyclists are complaining that NYPD squad cars have been parking on the Queensboro Bridge bike path, forcing riders to pass by through a narrow 18 inch gap. A DOT spokesman explains they requested police presence on the bike path after two collisions between cyclists and workers painting the bridge. In areas where work is being done, there are signs posted "periodically" instructing bike riders to dismount and walk.

The NYCLU has fired off a sternly worded letter to NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly demanding that police stop arresting children in public schools under the age of 16. The state's Family Court Act prohibits police from arresting kids younger than 16 without a warrant unless they've committed a crime. But according to NYPD data obtained in a Freedom of Information Law request, 309 kids under age 16 were arrested between 2005 and 2007 for offenses like disorderly conduct, loitering, or possession of marijuana or fireworks. (In one case, an 11-year-old was arrested for trespassing at his school.) The NYCLU maintains that most of these are non-criminal offenses.

A dominatrix at the Rapture S&M; parlor in TriBeCa allegedly offered a "prostate massage" to an undercover cop for $200, leading to her arrest Monday night on prostitution charges. The 21-year-old pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was conditionally released. The owner of the club, Staten Island's Collin Reeve, was also arrested and charged with promoting prostitution. His lawyer tells the Daily News that "the NYPD does not know the difference between prostitution and freedom of expression. There is nothing on the books that states S&M; is illegal. The City of New York should know the difference between prostitution and a perfectly legal S&M; dominatrix house."