Brickbat: …Where Everybody Knows Your Name and Badge Number

A group of New York City sheriffs created a "man cave" at a city storage facility and stocked it with booze and tobacco products seized from stores and bars they raided and closed for violating COVID-19 shutdown orders. They reportedly blocked off the security cameras so they could drink and smoke in the area. The Department of Finance, which employs the sheriffs, has refused to release their names, and department Commissioner Preston Niblack declined to discuss the issue with local media. But officials say that twelve sheriffs were suspended for 30 days without pay over the matter, and none were charged with any crimes.

Comments

[Don't look at me!]

Boys will be boys.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

"NO GIRLS ALLOWED"

[Stuck in California]

"department Commissioner Preston Niblack" -- that name sounds like a character in a Vonnegut novel.

[Chumby]

As long as they masked and posted selfies on social media of them doing so, then all is good.

[Michael P]

There's usually only one sheriff, and the investigative file linked from the article makes that clear in a table listing those involved by rank: two sergeants, an investigator, an undersheriff, and a bunch of deputy sheriffs (often called deputies). All of them worked for the sheriff proper, who presumably didn't know about this.

[MatthewSlyfield]

"who presumably didn’t know about this."
Why make such a presumption? Isn't it the Sheriff's job to know what his deputies are doing?

[Its_Not_Inevitable]

When reached for comment, he said "the buck stops over there".

[Fist of Etiquette]

COVID AMNESTY

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

seized from stores and bars they raided and closed for violating COVID-19 shutdown orders.

These are the acts of Heroes!

[Illocust]

I mean its not actually a crime? Workplace violation, misuse of resources sure, but not really a crime. Punishment should be handed down as it is for any employee that slacks off so aggressively on company time.

[DuaneMaxwell-HillWozniel]

Stealing seized contraband is probably illegal. I assume said contraband is evidence and or government property.

[CE]

Plus it makes it look like the sheriff's office is some kind of gang, stealing booze from people for minor violations and drinking it themselves. Fire them all. They are unsuited for careers in law enforcement and are a stain on the county.

[mad.casual]

Was something done about the booze and smokes in the storage unit or did they just get 30 days to "make all this stuff go away"?

[CE]

The suspension helped. They could get snookered every single day.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

What about the COVID man-cave at the NIAID? Or was that more of a bat-cave?

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Isnt this just the free market since some people got goods cheaper... like how China commits theft and we celebrate that because it makes goods cheaper for some at the expense of others?

[Rossami]

Ooh, thirty whole days. That'll sting...

[GroundTruth]

Squatters have rights too, don't they?

[jimc5499]

"Are we still raiding that Liquor Store tonight?" "Yes." "Good, we're about out of Jack Daniels and are low on Vodka."