Would Be A Shame If Something Happened To Your City There, Bill

[kpete]

Would Be A Shame If Something Happened To Your City There, Bill
Posted by Zandar


New York’s Finest, at their finest:

NYPD traffic tickets and summonses for minor offenses have dropped off by a staggering 94 percent following the execution of two cops — as officers feel betrayed by the mayor and fear for their safety, The Post has learned.

The dramatic drop comes as Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and Mayor Bill de Blasio plan to hold anemergency summit on Tuesday with the heads of the five police unions to try to close the widening rift between cops and the administration.

The unprecedented meeting is being held at the new Police Academy in Queens at 2 p.m., sources said.

Angry union leaders have ordered drastic measures for their members since the Dec. 20 assassination of two NYPD cops in a patrol car, including that two units respond to every call.

It has helped contribute to a nose dive in low-level policing, with overall arrests down 66 percent for the week starting Dec. 22 compared with the same period in 2013, stats show.

Citations for traffic violations fell by 94 percent, from 10,069 to 587, during that time frame.
http://nypost.com/2014/12/29/arrests-plummet-following-execution-of-two-cops/

So your brilliant, devious plan is this: you’re going to show the people who believe that the NYPD is full of power-hungry bullies and paramilitary goons what for by displaying to the country exactly how most of the collars you make are in fact wholly unnecessary exercises of petty microagression towards the citizenry you hold in open and rancorous contempt.

Okay then. Go with that plan, guys.

The Thin Blue Line, indeed.

http://www.balloon-juice.com/2014/12/30/would-be-a-shame-if-something-happened-to-your-city-there-bill/#comments

......their antics in the face of criticism proves in living color what we see in so many individual incidents: they don't just want respect, they want submission. They will brook no discussion and accept no accountability, have no use for psychology or patience because the weapons in their holsters should be sufficient to gain instant compliance. We cannot call ourselves a free society as long as that is the case.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/an-nypd-work-stoppage.html

The Thin-Skinned Blue Line
NYPD COPS SO SAD AT MAYOR DE BLASIO THEY JUST CAN’T FIGHT CRIME ANYMORE
http://wonkette.com/570483/nypd-cops-so-sad-at-mayor-de-blasio-they-just-cant-fight-crime-anymore

[nichomachus]

1. Sounds good to me

Most of those arrests were bogus anyway.

If it works, maybe they can start laying off cops.

[randys1]

3. There is that, isnt there. Maybe NY dont need all these cops.

[nichomachus]

6. Actually, many of these citations for minor offenses

Are bogus charges to harass people -- mostly black folks.

[madokie]

22. I'd just about bet money on that

[tblue37]

50. +1,000,000! nt

[SomethingFishy]

72. And to fill the coffers...

They are running out of ways to get money from the poor...

[kpete]

7. Ta-Nahesi Coates makes a good point:

Ta-Nehisi CoatesVerified account
?@tanehisicoates
"NYPD officers are making arrests only 'when they have to,' leading to a massive drop in their response to low-level crimes."
https://twitter.com/tanehisicoates/status/549981689192411137

[sabrina 1]

24. So, in other words, they've been making arrests when they DIDN'T have to. Well, that's

what the protesters have been saying.

This might work out very well for the people of NY.

And if does, they can reduce the number of cops they have in that city which will save the city money.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

73. Actually,

They "have to" because it's part of their job. They just don't do it very well.

Both New York State and New York City tax cigarettes, so the the police are charged with issuing tickets to anyone selling cigarettes on the street. It's against the law precisely because it interferes with the city's revenue stream.

So...less law enforcement, more cigarettes brought in from across state lines, more cigarettes sold illegally, fewer sold legally, fewer taxes paid.

[ffr]

59. The revenue stream that is traffic tickets

may just force City Hall's hand on that. This is no small amount of revenue they're cutting off. Usually nationwide, law enforcement officers justify their budgets by maintaining these easy revenue streams.

They're cutting off their noses...

[randys1]

2. Who is Zandar? Or what? But yes, as I said the cops turning their backs is a DIRECT THREAT

and this is the execution of that threat.

Fire them all, one at a time, while you retrain and rehire cops who dont have to carry guns since we started enforcing the 2nd amendment and moved ALL citizen's guns to locked up, well regulated militias.

[ancianita]

15. Their work stoppage IS a security threat to the biggest city in the country, so yeah, fire them.

[ebbie15644]

4. Time for layoffs

[Stallion]

5. Well I Guess Police Officier Reduction in Force is Appropriate

What with all those officers with no one to arrest

[Ernesto]

8. FIRE 'EM..... they are a police force, not a political force!

In '67, I had a pretty cush USMC job on Okinawa until I talked back to a sergeant. The next week I was transferred to an infantry battalion in Vietnam just in time just in time to "enjoy" the Tet offensive.


http://www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/respect_20141230

[branford]

34. You do realize that the police are not military,

and are protected by all the same constitutional, statutory and contractual protections as all other public employees.

They are most certainly entitled to be a "political force," as is anyone else in the city, state and nation.

[ncjustice80]

38. They shouldnt be. FTP!

[The Jungle 1]

40. Disagree

If this was a teachers union and they were practicing their "political force" on the job all hell would be breaking loose. NO they are no allowed to exercise their "political force" on the job.

All this because the Mayor had the nerve to state he gave the same speech every father gives their sons. It may be a more important speech for a black kid but we all give that speech.

These guys are out of control.

If they aren't going to do their job then call out the National Guard!

[KingCharlemagne]

42. OT, but wonder whether the same plane that took you to Vietnam also carried Westmoreland when

he gave his (in)famous 'light at the end of the tunnel' comments at Tan Son Nhut. I'll never get that little clip out of my head (as seen in the documentary Vietnam: A Television History).

Welcome home and peace!

[Doc Holliday]

61. Westmoreland had no idea

that his "light at the end of the tunnel" was the front of an oncoming train.

[Kalidurga]

9. “Is this about politics or is it about working through problems?”

sez the guy who started the whole fight and all the animosity.

[KingCharlemagne]

43. AKA: Chutzpah (although, to be fair, Mullins is head of the

Sergeants Benevolent Association, as opposed to Lynch, who heads the PBA).

Still, good on you to hammer the comment. Hope the Times does too.

[1step]

10. Is dereliction of duty a fireable offense in the NYPD?

I'm dusgusted I should even have to ask that, but...

[jtuck004]

11. Criminals go on strike. And the people they arrest can breathe. n/t

[JaneyVee]

12. 35000 cops, 5 Boroughs. NYC doesn't need 7000 cops per borough.

[DeSwiss]

13. Start laying them asses off.

- Austerity happens.

[NJCher]

14. four words

Reagan. Air traffic controllers.

Consider this, the best paragraph of all from what kpete has posted above. This was written by the blog balloonjuice:

So your brilliant, devious plan is this: you’re going to show the people who believe that the NYPD is full of power-hungry bullies and paramilitary goons what for by displaying to the country exactly how most of the collars you make are in fact wholly unnecessary exercises of petty microagression towards the citizenry you hold in open and rancorous contempt.

To put it in plain terms, the police have the mayor's dick in a wringer because the city depends on extorted $$ from low-income people.

That is due to a faulty arrangement about which DeBlasio had no say. It's kind of like the dickhead deal dealt to Obama by Bush/Cheney.

The police account for a good percentage of the city's income through, as stated above, "petty microagression (sic) towards the citizenry you hold in open and rancorous contempt."

This will be real interesting.

And kpete, thanks for a valuable post. This is an issue I've been tracking for the last 10 months. It looks like it's about to burst wide open, not withstanding a devil's deal between the police union and the mayor.



Cher

[tblue37]

51. Just like in Ferguson, where the city is funded by harrassing its majority

black citizens.

[lumberjack_jeff]

16. Union thuggery: This is how you do it.

Pity that this degree of solidarity can't be utilized by unions for legitimate reasons.

[ErikJ]

17. NYC will soon return to the dystopian hell of the 70's at this rate

Sounds like the billionaires there will have to hire their own Pinkerton police forces.

[stevenleser]

41. I don't think so. Jobs are booming here right now.

I think one of the characteristics of the 70's that contributed to the disaster here in NYC was the high unemployment rate.

[TrollBuster9090]

18. This is all about 'support' for the police, of course. Nothing to do with contract negotiations.

This has nothing to do with De Blasio. If they're going to pull an unofficial work stoppage every time they don't get what they want, the NYPD is about to become a bona fide political force.

[branford]

35. The NYPD has been a very strong political force for decades,

and have have fought with every mayor, including law and order conservatives like Rudy Giuliani.

If there was any doubt about how the NYPD can help destroy a mayor, yet remain largely popular, one simply has to study the now virtually anonymous, one term NYC mayor, David Dinkins.

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/new-york-city/release-detail?ReleaseID=2120

http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/new-yorkers-who-like-cops-dont-like-de-blasio/

[KingCharlemagne]

44. Giuliani helped incite a police riot against Dinkins. - nt

[mountain grammy]

19. FIVE police unions?

Hell, most working people can't even get one. One for each borough, huh? Too many cops.

[niyad]

31. no, apparently there is the pba, and one for each rank, or something like that.

[branford]

36. The different unions represent different grades and divisions of officers.

For instance, Lynch is the president of the PBA who represents the majority rank-and-file patrol officers.

[maindawg]

20. Thin blue skin

I have an idea I will be expanding upon. I think we should abolish the police.
Let the corporations and the banks and the rich people pay for their own security.
We have the sheriff to enforce the local laws and ordinances and the local streets. We have the State patrol to
patrol the hyways and of course to guard the governor.
We have the national guard in case of emergency and its a good idea tpo use them so they are ready.
Then you have the army.
We dont need these thugs preying on our citizens. Attacking our citizens. I think that when the police refuse to do their job they will find that society works better without them.
Now you may say, what about when some one commits a crime? I say that if some one wants to commit a crime they are going to commit a crime and the police will try to find out who dunit and stuff but they never get your stuff back. They write a report. Deputies can do that job. Sheriffs are elected. Deputies serve the sherif.
So we could not only save a bundle of money we would gain our freedom back.

[madokie]

23. Their own security beginning at their gate/door, not beyond

We have the local cops, sheriffs, Cherokee Nation Police and the Oklahoma Hiway Patrol already prowling our streets now. You can hardly get around with out bumping in to one or the other as it is. We don't need to be adding any private blackwater or Xe or whatever the fuck they call themselves now a days added to the mix

[Jefferson23]

21. So in effect, they're providing data to support less police officers and highlighting

the bullshit they do on a daily basis...

Dumb pigs, need a new plan..they look totally busted from here.

[elehhhhna]

26. so succinct. thank you.

[Jefferson23]

30. You're welcome....I hope they keep this up for the next 6 months, at the very least. n/t

[tblue37]

53. When cops went on strike in Acapulco, Mexico, the citizens didn't want them back.

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/acapulco-police-strike-backfired/

[Jefferson23]

67. Ha ha, exposes a good deal more than they bargained for..thanks for the link.

[sabrina 1]

25. What would Reagan do? n/t

[BrotherIvan]

60. That elicited an evil laugh in my head

And I put Reagan up there with the worst of humanity!

[ZX86]

27. LAPD has significantly smaller force

and larger geographic area to patrol and the beat and kill their citizens just fine. NYC is not getting the most bang for their buck.

[OregonBlue]

28. Sounds to me like they don't need all those cops issuing bogus tickets for minor violations.

This may backfire on them big time. The citizens of NY make decide it's very nice not having cops on every corner writing tickets for every little slip up or minor infraction.

[spanone]

29. NYPD...there will be a million people in times square tomorrow night. best do your job.

[niyad]

32. ugh--suddenly I thought of agents provocateurs.

[blkmusclmachine]

33. Fire those cops!

Hasta la vista, bay-bee...

[branford]

37. The safety of New York City residents, workers and tourists

will not be demonstrably affected by the lack of enforcement of ticketing offenses like traffic and parking violations or laws against public urination. Additionally, those protesters who believe that the police will not make any arrests, could face very unwelcome surprises.

These minor citations, however, represent a large and very important source of income for the City. The police will be paid regardless of of whether the city's income declines, as it is guaranteed by their contracts. Matters like social services and support for poor communities, politically important individuals and areas for a liberal Mayor deBlasio, will not be as lucky and could feel the pinch. Conservative, largely white and even well to do liberal communities, where the police remain very popular, will hardly notice any police work slow-down.

There is certainly much to complain about concerning the police unions' conduct, but they are definitely not stupid and their tactics are honed by years of experience to severely target their political opponents without impacting supporters.

[Ilsa]

47. Yep. The tickets are about the income to the city.

They want to hurt the mayor in the pocketbook.

So, just send home half of the daily force. Save the money in salaries.

[branford]

55. They can't send the officers home, no less not pay them.

Staffing levels and similar matters are generally guaranteed by the various police union collective bargaining agreements.

The only real way for the mayor, through the police commissioner, to fight the work slow-down would be mass officer discipline. This would be a major escalation in the conflict with the unions, something that deBlasio is desperate to avoid, particularly since the City could well lose the ensuing labor grievances and potential lawsuits, thereby humiliating the mayor and strengthening the unions further, particularly the PBA which is about to start binding arbitration on their new contract.

[tblue37]

54. It would be better to fund a city with appropriate (and *fair*) taxes than by

making almost *everything* a minor offense that one can be fined for--at the discretion of a bullying, power-tripping cop with a bunch of prejudices against a variety of vulnerable groups.

[branford]

56. Increase taxes even more in NYC?

First, funding through traffic citations and other matters is standard practice in most cities and towns, and is hardly unique or notable in NYC.

In any event, I certainly hope you're not from around here, because we already face some of the highest taxes and fees in the nation, and raising them further is a big political loser, particularly among liberal middle and upper class whites and Asians that deBlasio needs for reelection. Moreover, in order to actually increase taxes, the City would likely require state approval in Albany, which would not be forthcoming from a Republican state senate and a Democratic governor who is desperate not to take antagonize the police unions statewide and create his own political problems. DeBlasio is on his own to resolve matters in the city.

[Jefferson23]

69. You're correct but Cuomo has been too busy making sure the wealthy are protected:

In a State of the State address largely devoid of the progressive policy proposals he floated last year, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo decided this year to lay out a lavish buffet of tax cuts that disproportionately benefit large corporations and the rich. Cuomo is proposing $2 billion in "tax relief" phased in over three years, a package impressive enough to prompt the Republican State Senate Leader Dean Skelos to admiringly describe him as a "good, moderate Republican." (Rule of thumb in the age of hyper-partisanship: If a Republican calls you a Republican, you are probably a Republican.)

The supply-side economic theories that underlie Cuomo’s tax cut proposals have had fat cats laughing all the way to the bank since long before Arthur Laffer devised his dubious curve, despite the fact that these theories have been widely discredited. And yet the Governor is determined to throw his muscle behind them. True, he does toss a couple of bones to renters and middle-class property owners, but the bulk of his cuts are reserved for wealthy individuals and corporations, benefitting Wall Street banks more than the ordinary taxpayers and manufacturers they purport to champion. While the cuts are unlikely to significantly increase economic growth or create jobs, they are certain to deprive the state of much-needed revenue at a time when the administration itself projects a $1.7 billion deficit for the current fiscal year. They’re also sure to increase inequality in a state that already ranks No. 1 in the nation in that unfortunate category.

The most galling of Cuomo’s proposals, however, is a huge giveaway to the rich in the form of sharply reduced estate taxes. Currently, New York offers a $1 million estate tax exemption. In other words, wealthy New Yorkers can pass on an estate worth $1 million (after deductions) without paying a cent in estate taxes. For estates larger than $1 million, the rate starts at a whopping 5 percent and rises to all of 16 percent for estates larger than $10 million. (By comparison, workers in New York start paying a state income tax rate of 5 percent when they earn around $22,000.) Spouses are exempt from the estate tax, and a labyrinth of waivers, trusts and other exemptions allows wealthy individuals and their estate planners to shelter large portions of even the largest estates. Still, estate and gift taxes bring in over $1 billion annually, accounting for almost 2 percent of New York’s total tax revenue.

http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/21408-state-of-the-estate-cuomos-tax-giveaway-to-the-rich

[Vinca]

39. If they don't do their jobs, fire them.

That, of course, won't happen, but maybe their hissy fit will demonstrate that about half the petty-ass tickets they write are a waste of time and it's probably time to downsize the force.

[branford]

57. Define "waste of time?"

Those "petty-ass tickets" fund a great deal in NYC, as they do in a great many other towns and cities. Given overall state and city union strength, tight budgets, already very high taxes and fees, and the need for state approval for most tax increases that will not happen, the loss of revenue will ultimately affect the most vulnerable and core constituencies of our liberal mayor.

As I said in an earlier post and you appear to acknowledge, mass discipline of the officers involved in the work slow-down is probably not possible for legal, political and practical reasons. The unions know exactly what they're doing and who'll be the most affected without a resolution. I only wish all unions were as cohesive and determined.

[Vinca]

64. I imagine the lawsuits paid out after citizens are murdered

for such major offenses as selling loose cigarettes would impact the budget, too.

[branford]

68. Those anticipated lawsuits are already baked into the budget,

as they are in every major urban center. More importantly, most allegations of unjustified police violence occur in far more serious situations that are not covered by the current work slow-down. Traffic tickets and similar matters rarely result in lawsuits against the city, but account for a staggeringly large stream of needed revenue.

Ironically, the enforcement of loose cigarette laws and similar matters are supported by administrations, both liberal and conservative, because they bypass taxes and deny the city and state revenue. The police will be more than happy to temporarily stop enforcement of minor revenue generating ordinances and laws. Their salaries are guaranteed by contract. The mayor and the poor, however, will suffer.

[Pantagruelsmember]

45. Renegotiate their pay

Seems to me less work should result in less pay, isn't that capitalism?

[branford]

58. You are apparently unfamiliar with union contracts and strength in NYS and NYC. nt

Last edited Wed Dec 31, 2014, 06:01 PM - Edit history (1)

[Historic NY]

46. where's the NRA blowhards now...

they'd be screaming about the lack of protection and not being able to carry Sweetness because of the city's own pistol permitting vs the rest of the state.

[bhikkhu]

48. So with all that crime going unpunished and unpoliced...

are the criminals of NYC running wild, are the streets running red with blood? Is everyone barricaded in their homes in fear?

Or were all those tickets and arrests and stop-and-frisks just the petty and systematic harassment of a generally law-abiding populace?

[former9thward]

65. The tickets had nothing to do with crime.

They are to provide revenue to the city. If a parking violation does not get a ticket no one is worried about it -- except the city Revenue Department.

[Thor_MN]

49. They announced that murders are down in NYC also

but it's probably not related.

[Savannahmann]

52. You need to add parentheses.

It's what I started doing a while back. The proper way to write it IMO is thus. The Thin Blue Li(n)e.

Oh, and NYPD, fuck off you pathetic douchebags. Unless one is a member here in good standing of course, I'd never say that to a member of DU.

[lark]

62. Hmm, they better watch what they are asking for.

They might prove that police aren't as needed as they thought?

[lunasun]

63. as long as they are guaranteed to be payed and can not be held accountable wat da fuck do de care .

We already know there is a lot they do not care a fuck about and are not held accountable for
Not surprised they can get away with this too and they will sway the meeting i suppose

[kelliekat44]

66. I don't put it past some kind of provocation by law enforcement tonight. I hope the public is wise

enough to not fall for what could b coming. A lot of those law enforcement officials are vicious.

[LordGlenconner]

70. Getting a little tired of the whining

[cwydro]

71. And tonight being New Year's Eve...nt