Police Misconduct
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NYPD Bike Blitz Cheat Sheet Tells Cops to Enforce Bogus Traffic Laws
Sometime between the ticket one cyclist received for turning right on red into Central Park and the ticket another received for riding with a bag slung over her handlebars, it became abundantly clear that NYPD's "Operation Safe Cycle" is not really about safer cycling. Instead of applying the NYPD's vaunted data-driven policing techniques to encourage safer and more courteous cycling behaviors, the department's bike blitz seemingly consists of harassing cyclists and slapping them with large fines for the most minor transgressions.
May 9, 2011
NYPD Traffic Cop: “My Objective Is The Cars, Not The People”
The NYPD's decision to crack down on cyclists committing even the most minor infractions -- while an epidemic of deadly driving continues unabated -- should make it clear that the police department is no friend to those on two wheels right now. A report we received today from Christine Berthet, the co-founder of the Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen Coalition for Pedestrian Safety, offers evidence that the police aren't too concerned about the safety of those on two legs either:
April 8, 2011
Two Drunk-Driving Cops Crash Cars In Two Nights
Drunk off-duty New York City police officers have crashed their vehicles each of the last two nights.
April 8, 2011
Pogan Verdict: Jury Finds Ex-Cop Guilty of Cover-Up, Not Guilty of Assault
The Post reports that the jury has reached a mixed verdict in the trial of Patrick Pogan, the ex-NYPD officer who was seen by millions of YouTube viewers slamming his shoulder into approaching cyclist Christopher Long during a 2008 Critical Mass ride, sending Long to the pavement. Pogan was found guilty of falsifying records when he filed a criminal complaint alleging that Long assaulted him. He faces up to four years in prison for that conviction.
April 29, 2010
Video: NYPD Efficiently Deploys Officers to Clip Bikes on Houston Street
Via Gothamist, here's the Time's Up video of police in the act of sawing bike locks on Houston Street last Thursday, in preparation for President Obama's motorcade. Gothamist reports that a lawsuit may be brewing over the massive seizure of bicycles, which police held at the 7th Precinct for owners who were lucky enough to know where to go and could find their property.
April 29, 2010
Security Overkill Strikes Again
Maybe it was the NYPD's revenge for the disgracing of rookie cop (and detective's son) Patrick Pogan, now on trial for his brutal takedown two years ago of Critical Mass cyclist Christopher Long. Or perhaps it was just the latest manifestation of the post-9/11 security state, in which everything -- parked bikes, basic mobility, even human life -- is sacrificed on the altar of authorities' notion of safety.
April 22, 2010
NYPD Celebrates Earth Day With Massive Houston Street Bike Clipping
Via Gothamist, local blog This is FYF posts this scene from Houston Street earlier today. Apparently, with President Obama due in town for a speech at Cooper Union, NYPD jumped at the chance to drastically overreact by confiscating New Yorkers' personal property. We haven't been able to confirm with the public information office yet, but This is FYF says police cited "security concerns that bikes might be secret pipe bombs" as their excuse:
April 22, 2010
NYPD Slams Doored Cyclist with Two Summonses, Lets Driver Off the Hook
While riding home from work on the morning of March 22, Rodney Seymour was doored by a truck driver. When the police responded to his 911 call, instead of ticketing the doorer, they hit Seymour with two summonses for improperly equipping his bike.
April 1, 2010
Eyes on the Street: NYPD Chivalry Is Dead on 34th Street
Thanks to tipster ddartley for the latest chapter in NYPD's ongoing mistreatment of bus riders on 34th Street. Yesterday, eight cruisers from northern Queens (precincts 110, 111, 112, 114 and 115) sat parked in the bus lane between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. During evening rush hour. You know, we're starting to think there may be a pattern here.
March 12, 2010
Why Car Chases Are Never Worth the Risk
Peter Moskos is a former Baltimore police officer and an assistant professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. A version of this essay also appeared on his blog, Cop in the Hood, and in the West Side Spirit.
March 2, 2010