He dropped a dime — and lost 25 grand.
A city investigative agency — but, notably, not the NYPD — has fined and punished a 14-year veteran police officer for repeatedly harassing a Brooklyn man who complained to 311 about illegal parking by police officers.
Officer Brendan Sullivan, formerly of the 77th Precinct in Crown Heights, will pay a $500 fine, plus lose 60 vacation days — a penalty that will cost him about $25,000 — for harassing 311 complainant Paul Vogel from his NYPD phone, calls that included voicemails posing as a former romantic partner or breathing heavily or making "dolphin noises," the Conflicts of Interest Board said in a ruling released on Tuesday.
"[Sullivan] sought to discourage a citizen from exercising his constitutional right to complain about government action," the board ruled, calling Sullivan "a law enforcement officer who should be held to a high standard of compliance with the conflicts of interest law."
In the settlement, Sullivan admitted that he got Vogel's number from Vogel's 311 calls, and used it to harass him, starting with a creepy first call on March 2, 2021, when Sullivan assumed the guise of a former lover.
“Just calling to see how you’re doing," Sullivan said, altering his voice. "I thought I saw you on Vanderbilt, but I guess not. I tried to wave you down. Just want to let you know that I miss you, and I hope you pick up my call next time. You’re still the best I ever had. I hope you still dream about me. Love you, baby boo. Bye, Paulie V.” (You can listen to that call here.)
The calls — the heavy breathing, and, oddly, the "dolphin, seal and sheep noises" — continued through Jan. 24, 2022, all from Sullivan's "assigned NYPD telephone."
In the settlement, Sullivan admitted that he has violated City Charter section 2604(b)(4), which states that "no public servant shall disclose any confidential information ... which is obtained as a result of the official duties of such public servant and which is not otherwise available to the public, or use any such information to advance any direct or indirect ... private interest of the public servant."
The ruling by the conflicts board comes two years after the Civilian Complaint Review Board had cited Sullivan for not only the crank-calling but also for misleading investigators about the episode. The Conflicts of Interest Board did not mention the alleged obfuscation.
Vogel was one of several city residents who came forward to complain about NYPD harassment in Streetsblog's deep, award-winning investigation into agency's general failure to follow up on 311 service requests.
On Tuesday, he told Streetsblog that the punishment was too severe in one way and not severe enough in another.
"The money and vacation days seems a lot for some prank calls," he said. "On the other hand, breaching confidentiality of my personal information and harassing a member of the public — he should lose his badge."
Vogel denied that he's a hero for fighting the power, which is exactly what a hero would do.
"I’m probably more stupid than courageous," he said. "But I also have an incredibly low tolerance for being lied to and abuses of authority."
After the Civilian Complaint Review Board substantiated Vogel's account and blamed Sullivan for placing the calls, the NYPD said only that an investigation was ongoing. On Tuesday, the NYPD declined to comment, but a spokesperson said that the "disciplinary process has concluded." The spokesperson said the decision would eventually be posted on Sullivan's "Officer Profile" page here.
Records show that Sullivan was reassigned in 2022 to the “Quartermaster Section,” where the department keeps office supplies. An NYPD source told Streetsblog the transfer was likely a punishment, and Sullivan's total pay indeed dropped from $131,717 in 2022 to $121,988 in 2023, according to city records.
Sullivan did not return a text message from Streetsblog.
