The NYPD’s top police union is less than pleased that the officer who placed Eric Garner into a hold was stripped of his badge and gun.
NYPD commissioner James P. O’Neill dismissed Officer Daniel Pantaleo, not long after a police administrative judge found him guilty of violating a department-wide ban on chokeholds.
The use of the ‘chokehold’ reportedly contributed to the death of Eric Garner, who had been selling untaxed cigarettes on Staten Island.
In response to the firing, NYPD Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch denounced O’Neill, claiming he took his own self interests into account instead of backing his officers.
“O’Neill has made his choice: He has chosen to cringe in fear of the anti-police extremists, rather than standing up for New Yorkers who want a functioning police department,” a statement released on the NYC PBA Twitter page read. “O’Neill has opened the door for politicians to dictate the outcome of every single NYPD disciplinary proceeding, without any regard for the facts of the case or police officers’ due process rights.”
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) August 19, 2019
Lynch went on to say that “cop-haters” would never be satisfied, no matter how progressive the policy.
“The damage is already done,” Lynch wrote. “The NYPD will remain rudderless and frozen, and Commissioner O’Neill will never be able to bring it back. Now it is time for every PO in this city to make their own choice.”
O’Neill responded in kind on his Twitter, stating that police work is not easy.
“Being an NYPD cop is a very difficult job,” he wrote. “We get pulled from all sides. We do our best. We recruit from the human race. We’re not perfect. But, the next time you’re walking down the street and you feel safe, thank the NYPD.”
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