NYPD Internal Affairs Chief Warns His Cops About Overtime. What About the Rest of Them?
The New York Daily News reports an exclusive on a curious memo from the Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB) chief at the New York Police Department (NYPD). Via the Daily News:
When Internal Affairs gets a tip about police corruption it will often make arrests or execute warrants — then question prisoners about the officer in question.
Reznick believes that too many recent arrests were examples [of] "collars for dollars," as the practice is known within the department.
"The reasons for enforcement were nonsense," the tough-talking Reznick says in a April 8 memo, which was sent out to the commanding officers of six groups within IAB in response to an explanation of recent overtime.
"Don't test me. Most arrests lacked quality and the end result was the same (no intelligence)," according to a copy of the memo that was obtained by the News.
The distinction between prisoners and officers in question indicates it's generally not the cops who are accused of wrongdoing that are arrested but other people involved in the allegations. The New York Post, meanwhile, gets a quote from a "police source" that suggests the memo isn't meant for the IAB officers who received it but for cops who may find themselves in the IAB's crosshairs:
"It really has nothing to do with abusing overtime," said the source. "Bratton is trying to show that he's not in line with the old regime."
Bratton, who served as NYPD commissioner under Rudolph Giuliani (R) before leaving for the Los Angeles Police Department, was appointed police commissioner in New York City once again by Bill De Blasio (D) after he took office as mayor.
Among Bratton's first moves was to sack Charles Campisi, the IAB chief for the last 20 years. The complaints against Campisi included that his bureau focused too much on "petty enforcement," like towing illegally parked police vehicles and trying to prevent NYPD parking placard fraud. A pair of lawsuits were filed against IAB last year by cops who accused the bureau's officers of arbitrary spying, racial discrimination, and sexual impropriety. The bureau's investigation into an off-duty cop beaten into a coma, meanwhile, earned the wrath of the police union.
Reznick, it should be noted, cost the NYPD $280,000 when the city settled a lawsuit with a detective Reznick labeled a "rat."