New York City's police unions need to get a grip
It's time for the NYPD to respect democracy.
Pat Lynch, the president of the Patrolman's Benevolent Association (New York's largest police union), all but accused Mayor Bill de Blasio of
actual complicity in the murders, saying "that blood on the hands starts at City Hall in the office of the mayor," language
echoed by the Sergeants Benevolent Association.
New York cops are used to getting their way. But they don't seem to realize how times have changed. And there's a good chance their fire-eating rhetoric could backfire.
First, the political context. Lynch and the PBA have been embroiled in a political fight with de Blasio, who was elected in part on a platform of restraining the police. The mayor has
sharply curtailed stop-and-frisk, and has made some hesitant moves toward stricter scrutiny of cops using excessive force after Eric Garner was choked to death by police and his killer was not indicted.
De Blasio's relatively mild criticism of the non-indictment sparked bug-eyed outrage from police unions and their allies. Last week (before the shooting of Liu and Ramos),
Lynch declared that de Blasio should not attend the funerals of policemen killed in the line of duty. NYPD officers
turned their back on the mayor as he walked through a Brooklyn hospital to address the public about the murders. Lynch
unsubtly threatened that unless de Blasio backed off, police would slow-walk enforcement of the law.
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New York City's police unions need to get a grip - The Week
These
Police Gangs of New York need to realize that times are changing - and their union-protected thug days are slowly coming to an end.