Nothing’s changed. It’s the same old crap — kill the messenger.Legendary NYPD whistle-blower Frank Serpico • Discussing the current plights that police officers who speak up face within the department—for example, the plight of Officer Pedro Serrano, who has spoken up about the NYPD’s controversial stop-and-frisk program. Serrano’s suffered the indignity of having a rat sticker pasted on his locker, but that’s far from the worst of the problems he faced. In case Seripco’s name sounds vaguely familiar, there’s a reason for that: His whistle-blowing case was the subject of a legendary Al Pacino film bearing his last name.
I stand by everything I did. I did my job and I would do it the same way. … I sleep well at night.Retired New York City Police Detective Louis Scarcella • Speaking in regards to a 1990 case where he helped capture and convict David Ranta, a man who confessed to the murder of a rabbi in a botched robbery. However, in the 23 years since Ranta’s arrest, holes have surfaced in the case, and earlier this week, Ranta was released, complete with an apology from the judge. The release raised questions about Scarcella’s own actions, including whether he coached a witness to pick Ranta out of a lineup. The detective, who retired in 2000, defends his work. ”I caught a lot of cases and I got confessions,” he said of his work in the case. “I was called into cases that weren’t mine to speak to people. I was called in and I did my job and I got confessions.”
Women who report domestic violence are exposing themselves to arrest under a new NYPD directive that orders cops to run criminal checks on the accused and the accuser, The Post has learned.
The memo by Chief of Detectives Phil Pulaski requires detectives to look at open warrants, complaint histories and even the driving records of both parties.
“You have no choice but to lock them up” if the victims turn out to have warrants, including for minor offenses like unpaid tickets, a police source said.
We’re not entirely certain who thought this up, but definitely count us among the crowd of folks who think this is a terrible idea. We understand that situations like these might seem like excellent opportunities to catch elusive criminals, but giving people any reason to second-guess calling for help in domestic violence situations doesn’t sound like a particularly great idea. Traffic tickets don’t hold the same value as people’s lives. Thoughts?
Street Artist Behind Satirical NYPD “Drone” Posters Arrested
“A street artist who hung satirical posters criticising police surveillance activities has been arrested after an NYPD investigation tracked him to his doorstep.” Note the irony of the artist satirizing drones getting tracked.
As stories of heroism are revealed in the aftermath of Sandy, the sacrifice of off-duty NYPD cop Artur Kasprzak will likely not be forgotten.
Kasprzak, 28, drowned Monday night after rescuing seven members of his family, including his 15-month-old son, from the raging flood waters filling the basement of his Staten Island home, CBS New York reports.
After ushering them into the attic, Kasprzak said he was going to check the basement one more time, according to an NYPD release. He never returned.
The family’s 911 call spurred the NYPD to dispatch scuba divers in Zodiac boats and jet skis to the home, but they couldn’t reach it because of downed power lines snaking through the water, according to multiple reports.
A search party finally entered the home around 7 a.m. Tuesday, finding Kasprzak’s body in the basement. Kasprzak’s father and girlfriend were among those he saved, according to reports. He was a 6-year veteran of the NYPD.
The NYPD tends to catch a pretty terrible rap in many places around the web. Regardless of how you feel about that criticism’s legitimacy, I think we can all agree that truly heroic actions should always be shown the recognition that they deserve. Our thoughts go out to the family, friends, and loved ones of Officer Artur Kasprzak, as well as everyone else currently affected by the rain, wind, and snow blanketing the East coast.
» That is, if you’re counting, all the people who were injured as bystanders to the police encounter, which occurred yesterday morning. Three people, according to the NYPD, took gunshot wounds, while the other six were struck by fragments. This is, in every way, a bit of disastrous notoriety for New York’s finest, with nine people now suffering the collateral effects of their proximity to the shooter, but none of them actually having been injured by him.
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Seventh-inning Pitch: We’re here to serve you, folks. We SFB writers really enjoy writing the longer stories that are most important to you. The Pitch is a chance for all of us to delve a little deeper. Head over to this week’s The Pitch album on Facebook and vote for what story you want to see written slightly more longform-y! Your choices: The media’s coverage of Sarah Palin in comparison to Paul Ryan; a crazy new sci-fi technology developed by Microsoft and the NYPD; the Insane Clown Posse’s insane lawsuit against the FBI; a closer look at Paul Ryan and what makes him so Paul Ryan-y; or what to do with yourself now that the Olympics are over. Oh yeah: Be sure to read last week’s winner, a close-up on Syria. source
Knife-wielding man shot, killed by police in Times Square: The shooting, which took place at 3 p.m. Saturday, happened after the man reportedly threatened tourists and bystanders, was sprayed with pepper spray, and attempted to rush police. “He continued to advance on uniformed officers, refusing officers’ repeated commands to drop his weapon,” said police spokesperson Paul J. Brown. The shooting happened at a particularly rough hour for something like this — at a point in the week when Times Square is loaded with tourists. (photo by Lincoln Rocha for The New York Times)
EDIT: Via MegsOkay, here’s video of the shooting.
Judge widens lawsuit against NYPD’s stop-and-frisk practice
The New York Times reports: A federal judge has granted class-action status to a lawsuit accusing New York Police Department officers of using race as a factor in stopping people on the street.
Photo: Robert Stolarik for The New York Times
In which a controversial policy gets its comeuppance.
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![theatlantic:
New York City Police ‘Stop and Frisk’ More People Than Ever
New York City police officers stopped and questioned more than 200,000 people in the just the first three months of 2012, setting up a record pace for much criticized tactic. The “Stop, Question, Frisk” policy has been a major initiative for the NYPD, which credits the tactic as a key contributor to a years-long drop in street crimes. However, numerous studies have shown that the stops overwhelmingly target black and Latino males. A recent study by the ALCU released last week showed that were 168,000 stops of young black men last year, which exceeds the actual population of young black men living in the city.
Read more. [Image: AP]
With crime supposedly at a much lower level, wouldn’t it make sense to scale back, rather than ramp up, a controversial policy?](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m40olpL7Fq1qcokc4o1_500.jpg)
New York City Police ‘Stop and Frisk’ More People Than Ever
New York City police officers stopped and questioned more than 200,000 people in the just the first three months of 2012, setting up a record pace for much criticized tactic. The “Stop, Question, Frisk” policy has been a major initiative for the NYPD, which credits the tactic as a key contributor to a years-long drop in street crimes. However, numerous studies have shown that the stops overwhelmingly target black and Latino males. A recent study by the ALCU released last week showed that were 168,000 stops of young black men last year, which exceeds the actual population of young black men living in the city.
Read more. [Image: AP]
With crime supposedly at a much lower level, wouldn’t it make sense to scale back, rather than ramp up, a controversial policy?
You better keep an eye on your son.What the boyfriend of an alleged rape victim yelled at New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, according to the alleged victim’s friend. via Richard Esposito of ABC News (via azipaybarah)
A source confirms a woman filed a sexual assault complaint against [Greg] Kelly, co-host of Fox 5’s “Good Day New York,” with authorities at the 13th Precinct.
Details of her complaint are unknown at this time.
Kelly’s attorney, Andrew Lankler, said that his client was aware of the investigation and strongly denied any wrongdoing.
“Mr. Kelly is aware that the New York County District Attorney’s office is conducting an investigation. Mr. Kelly strenuously denies any wrongdoing of any kind, and is cooperating fully with the district attorney’s investigation,” Lankler said in a statement. “We know the district attorney’s investigation will prove Mr. Kelly’s innocence.”
His father, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, is a very powerful ally of Mayor Bloomberg and on his watch the NYPD has boosted counter-terrorism efforts. Greg Kelly, meanwhile, hosts ”Good Day New York” for the local Fox affiliate. Will keep an eye on this; he’s yet to be arrested or charged.
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