New York police were given a rehash of an existing policy this week that orders officers not to congregate in groups on city streets after Mayor Eric Adams (D) criticized similar behavior at an outdoor event, a retired detective told the Washington Examiner.
“This happens often — they’ll just reinforce some old, dumb policy when it benefits them and gets any [existing] negative publicity away from them,” the detective said. “A few years back, an Upper West Side resident complained about officers not wearing their hats. And they sent inspectors out to write people up for not having hats on.”
The latest incident played out on Aug. 6 when Adams was part of an organized bike ride and stopped to tell officers, “How about scattering out so we ensure safety and deploy personnel? We have not been deploying our personnel correctly.”
On a Summer Streets bike ride, @NYCMayor Adams crossed the median to tell NYPD he didn’t like how they were bunched up in a quiet area with no cross traffic. “How about scattering out, so we ensure safety and deploy personnel? We have not been deploying our personnel correctly.” pic.twitter.com/yfpJ0DumPN
— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) August 6, 2022
The exchange was caught on video and by a local reporter and posted on Twitter.
Then on Tuesday, an internal New York City Police Department memo came out, saying, “Do not congregate, or engage in unnecessary conversation, with other members of the service while on post, absent police necessity,” the New York Post reported.
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But former Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Dennis Zine, retired after 28 years on the force, said the memo shows why New York is deteriorating.
“It’s unbelievable how someone who was a captain of the NYPD lets the department implode to the point that he’s focused on cops congregating on the street,” Zine said. “The man is losing touch with reality. Law enforcement across this country is falling apart due to lack of leadership with the fortitude to support police in the protection of life and property. What is happening in New York is a reflection of what is happening across America.”
As for the police, they know the order has been in place for years, so they roll their eyes and think, “Here we go again!” the former detective said.
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“Pretty soon, there won’t be enough cops left to congregate anywhere in the city because these miserable working conditions and the low pay are forcing them to quit in droves,” Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch told the New York Post.
