http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100319/NEWS/100319019/1174/NEWS0108/UPDATE-Veteran-Piscataway-police-officer-admits-illegally-collecting-overtime-pay
This blog was created solely for my students to generate intellectual dialogue with their classmates. Reach one and teach one. Peace.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Is whistle-blowing a welcomed change in the NYPD?
Officer Frank Palestro, the latest cop to call foul on corruption in the NYPD, has gotten serious flak from his fellow police and the union, though he maintains he was just doing his duty. The union delegate and nine-year police veteran was outed after secretly reporting Lt. Susana Seda for behavior such as telling cops to write summonses for traffic violations they didn't witness, refusing to take complaints and tampering with a gun at a crime scene. Since then, he's been transferred so he won't have to deal with the wrath of his peers in the precinct. "I was the [Patrolmen's Benevolent Association] delegate, and now I'm labeled a rat for doing what I was supposed to do," said Palestro. "This will stay with me for the rest of my career."
According to Palestro, union reps rarely report the infractions of their fellow officers. "I wrestled with it for a while because I'm a delegate and we don't do things like this," he told the Daily News. In the end he made three anonymous phone calls reporting corruption within his precinct, but the log of his calls somehow made its way into the vents of his locker at the stationhouse! "[Seda] told everybody I was a 'f------ rat,'" he said, adding that the union has also reprimanded him. So far no action has been taken against the accused lieutenant.
Palestro's allegations follow a study that revealed widespread and deeply ingrained corruption regarding how the NYPD's crime statistics are obtained, as well as whistleblowing by several other members of the force.
This is an example of an NYPD Whistle-blower.
I have often spoken about the courageous act of a police officer who breaks the official "blue wall of silence." The officer depicted in this news video is one such person. Unfortunately, he is working for a rather large police organization. His predecessor, Serpico, felt the complete wrath of his department when he was shot in the face for a similar courageous act. Let's hope and pray that nothing happens to this young man.
An Eyewitness News investigation talks to a police officer who reveals the pressure they are under to make quotas.
When Officer Adil Polanco dreamed of becoming a cop, it was out of a desire to help people not, he says, to harass them.
“I'm not going to keep arresting innocent people, I'm not going to keep searching people for no reason, I'm not going to keep writing people for no reason, I'm tired of this,” said Adil Polanco, an NYPD Officer.
Officer Polanco says One Police Plaza's obsession with keeping crime stats down has gotten out of control. He claims Precinct Commanders relentlessly pressure cops on the street to make more arrests, and give out more summonses, all to show headquarters they have a tight grip on their neighborhoods.
“Our primary job is not to help anybody, our primary job is not to assist anybody, our primary job is to get those numbers and come back with them?” said Officer Polanco.
Eyewitness News asked, “Why do it?”
“They have to meet a quota. One arrest and twenty summonses,” said Officer Polanco.
This audio recording exclusively obtained by Eyewitness News seems to back up Officer Polanco's assertion of a quota. You can listen to one officer as he lectures his rank and file officers during roll call at the 41st precinct.
“Things are not going to get any better. It's going to get a lot worse,” said a police officer.
He lays out clearly that they need to bring in the numbers.
“If you think 1 and 20 is breaking your balls, guess what you're going to be doing. You're gong to be doing a lot more, a lot more than what they're saying,” said the officer.
In another recording, the 41st Precinct Patrol Supervisor appears to step up the pressure to write more and more summonses:
“Next week, 25 &1, 35 & 1, and until you decide to quit this job to go to work at a Pizza Hut , this is what you're going to be doing till then. Do you understand?” asked the patrol officer.
“He's being clear, the only choice that we have is to do it,” said Officer Polanco.
Eyewitness News asked, “Are you telling me they're stopping people for no reason, is that what you're saying?”
“We are stopping kids walking upstairs to their house, stopping kids going to the store, young adults. In order to keep the quota,” answered Officer Polanco.
“Yeah, they locked us up for nothing,” said Zebulun Colbourne.
The Colbourne brothers say they and three other friends were the victims of quotas. All were arrested a few months ago after one of them had fallen while racing each other.
Eyewitness News asked, “You fell and that's how you hurt your eye?”
“Yeah, and they just wanted to arrest us. I told them I fell but that didn't matter to them,” said Elijah Colbourne.
All five were accused of engaging in tumultuous and violent conduct that caused public alarm, given a summons for unlawful assembly and locked up overnight.
Eyewitness News asked, “So you're locked up waiting to see the judge, right?”
“Yeah,” answered the Colbourne brothers.
Eyewitness News asked, “Then what do they do?”
“We don't see the judge, they let us out the back door after they kept us for a day and some change,” said Elijah Colbourne.
The charges were dropped, but Officer Polanco says the patrolman still got 5 summonses toward their monthly quota.
“At the end of the night you have to come back with something. You have to write somebody, you have to arrest somebody, even if the crime is not committed, the number's there. So our choice is to come up with the number,” said Officer Polanco.
One Police Plaza declined our requests to interview the 41st precinct commander. But, Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said, “Police Officers like others who receive compensation are provided productivity goals and they are expected to work.”
Officer Polanco says if they are just goals, why are officers who fail to make them, re-assigned to different shifts or relocated far from home.
It's the consequences of not making the numbers or quotas, he says, that forces officers to give out bogus summonses.
“I cannot be more honest than I've been. There's no reason for me to lie, there's no reason for me to get into the trouble I am, cause I just could've kept quiet and made the money,” said Officer Polanco.
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=7305573
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=7307340
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Hunterdon County correctional officer sues state citing hostile environment - Topix
This is a former student. As I have told many of my female students, the law enforcement profession is difficult to enter and even more difficult to remain employed. Make sure you weigh all the information before getting involved.
Hunterdon County correctional officer sues state citing hostile environment - Topix
Hunterdon County correctional officer sues state citing hostile environment - Topix
Monday, March 15, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
You make the call.
This police involved incident is under investigation by the Newark Police Department and the Prosecutor's Office. All the facts are not in, but this video speaks volumes. I will reserve judgment, but tell me what you think.
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