A Manhattan judge ruled on Tuesday afternoon that 31 NYPD cops set to be fired will keep their jobs for at least the next 60 days pending further review.
According to legal documents filed by the NYPD and obtained by amNewYork, the department has accused the rookie cops marked for termination as drug abusers and even perverts accused of hiring prostitutes who should have never worn the uniform at all.
In one section of the filing, the department accuses one cop of causing some eight vehicle collisions and using his detective father to skirt responsibility.
“Freely admitted history of arrests and violations of law (marijuana in a public place when it was illegal; suspended licenses for failing to pay fines; involvement in 8 motor vehicle accidents ). Applicant exploited his father’s status as an NYPD detective in order to circumvent personal responsibility,” part of the document read.
Another officer was accused of paying for sex.
A background investigation revealed that he had a prior history of paying prostitutes for sexual favors, including paying a female dancer in a strip club for sexual intercourse in 2017 and paying a female masseuse to masturbate him in 2018. The evaluator concluded that “a history of illegal sexual behavior raises the risk that the candidate would engage in inappropriate sexual behavior in the future, both on and off duty, which raises risks for the public,” another section of the document read.
Police union boss blasts leaks
The NYPD says these cops should immediately be removed for potentially posing a risk to the public, and last week gave each of them 24 hours’ notice to resign or be fired, until the Police Benevolent Association (PBA), the rank-and-file union, filed an injunction to stop the proceeding.
PBA President Patrick Hendry argues that the officers embroiled in the controversy did nothing wrong, and the fault should not be placed on their shoulders. Hendry charged that the officers — some of whom have been in the job for several years at this point — have received accommodations and awards for their work.
“Anonymous sources, trying to say bad things about these people, about these cops, trying to sabotage them, their careers — everything that they’ve done so far. That’s not fair. That’s wrong. And many of them have served our city, state and country before they came on this job, one as a correction officer for over 10 years, school safety, traffic, served our country in the Air Force,” Hendry railed on July 15 outside 111 Centre St., where the court hearing took place. “They went through the academy for six months. They were trained. They did everything that they were supposed to do.”
Lawyers for the city blamed Terrell Anderson, a rogue inspector who solely hired the cops despite their disqualifications, and said they are now trying to “put things right.” Attorneys for the PBA argued that the city had not even completed its internal investigation to find out if Anderson worked alone to push the candidates through.
During the proceedings, Judge Phaedra Perry-Bond seemed unmoved by the city’s position, questioning why they chose to give the cops the 24-hour ultimatum and pointing out that 31 people’s lives are hanging in the balance.
“Thirty-one people whose lives are changed right now don’t know if they’re going to have a job. They know nothing right because we’re sitting here arguing their future,” judge Perry-Bond said. “If you say you want to right the wrong and you want to be fair, why wouldn’t you allow them to at least appeal their decision?”
Judge Perry-Bond allowed the PBA’s temporary legal stay to remain in effect as the battle continues, which will require another court hearing in 60 days.
Meanwhile, the 31 cops — who the PBA says are primarily Black and Brown officers — have had their guns and shields revoked and are on administrative duty until a final decision is reached.
“We’re grateful to the judge for taking this case seriously, understanding that these are 31 police officers’ lives, their livelihood. She understands that they have families, understands that they have bills, understands that they have rent, understands that they were just told: hey, you’re not entitled to any process here. You’re fired,” Hendry said. ”The whole method of how it was done is wrong.”
