A spoksman for Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Assciation, declined comment on Police Commissioner Bill Bratton's first public comments on the recent dip in arrests and summonses.
By Keldy Ortiz, Steven Trader, Barry Paddock / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS /
Saturday, January 10, 2015, 11:53 PM
Robert Gangi, Director of PROPNYC (Police Reform Organizing Project) collects signature from Tony Newman for NYPD reform.Robert Gangi, Director of PROPNYC (Police Reform Organizing Project) collects signature from Tony Newman for NYPD reform.
A day after the city's top cop acknowledged there had been a work slowdown, a usually chatty police union head remained silent.
A spokesman for Patricak Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, declined comment on Police Commissioner Bill Bratton's first public commments on the recent dip in arrests and summonses.
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The Daily News reported on Thursday that Lynch told trustees to get the word out to patrol officers that they should return to issuing summonses and making low-level arrests.
Scott Caplan gets a signature for NYPD reform from Brandon Weltors Saturday.Scott Caplan gets a signature for NYPD reform from Brandon Weltors Saturday.
" He said they should go back to at least 50% of what they used to do," a police source said.
A recording of Lynch addressing PBA delegates surfaced in December where he appeared to point his members toward a work slowdown.
" If we won't get support when we do our jobs, if we're going to get hurt for doing what's right, then we're going to do it the way they want it, " he said. " Let me be perfectly clear. We will use extreme discretion in every encounter. "
A spokesman for Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, declined comment on Police Commissioner Bill Bratton’s first public comments on the recent dip in arrests and summonses.A spokesman for Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, declined comment on Police Commissioner Bill Bratton’s first public comments on the recent dip in arrests and summonses.
The deirective to the trustees and the address to the PBA delegates have led some to believe that Lynch was behind a slowdown ? a claim the union leader denies.
The number of summonses issued citywide dropped 94% for the week ending Dec.29, records show. That trend continued with a 92% dip for the week ending Jan.4. Arrests were down 66% during the last two weeks of 2014.
On Friday, Bratton said he didn't know the cause of the slowdown but promised after meeting with borough commanders that it was coming to an end.
Front page of the New York Daily News about the war between Mayor de Blasio and the NYPD.Front page of the New York Daily News about the war between Mayor de Blasio and the NYPD.
Lynch has been locked in a bitter war of words with Mayor de Blasio after he he says the mayor expressed sympathy with anti-police brutality protesters in the wake of a Staten Island grand jury decision not to charge the cop who put Eric Garner in a fatal chokehold.
The mayor's close relationship with the Rev. Al Sharpton also has cops seething.
Sharpton addressed the slowdown at his weekly Natinal Action Network rally in Harlem on Saturday.
" You're mad at the mayor so you're gonna quit doing your job, " Sharpton scoffed.
" But you call me the troublemaker ! ' I ' m so mad at the manyor I'm not going to enforce the law ? but it's Sharpton's fault. I'm not going to argue with something that stupid. "
The number of summonses issued citywide dropped 94% for the week ending Dec. 29, records show. That trend continued with a 92% dip for the week ending Jan. 4. Arrests were down 66% during the last two weeks of 2014.The number of summonses issued citywide dropped 94% for the week ending Dec. 29, records show. That trend continued with a 92% dip for the week ending Jan. 4. Arrests were down 66% during the last two weeks of 2014.