New York City Police Department

"NYPD" and "New York City Cops" redirect here. For the 1960s crime drama, see N.Y.P.D. (TV series). For the song, see Is This It.

Not to be confused with New York City Sheriff's Office.

New York City Police Department
Common name	New York Police Department
Abbreviation	NYPD
New York City Police Department patch depicting the department logo
Shield of the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department flag
Motto	Fidelis ad Mortem
	Faithful Unto Death
Agency overview
Formed	1845
Preceding agency	Municipal Police
Annual budget	$3.9 Billion
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction*	City of New York in the state of New York, USA
Map of New York City Police Department's jurisdiction.
Size	468.9 square miles (1,214 km2)
Population	8,274,527
Legal jurisdiction	City of New York
General nature	Law enforcement Local civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	1 Police Plaza
Police Officers	35,000 (2011)
Auxiliary Police Officers School Safety Agents	4,503 (2009) 5,147 (2009)
Police Commissioner responsible	Raymond W. Kelly
Agency executive	Joseph Esposito[1], Chief of Department
Units	List Auxiliary Police Aviation Crime Scene Emergency Service Highway Patrol Housing Bureau Evidence Collection Major Case Squad Movie and Television Organized Crime Control Bureau Real Time Crime Scuba Team and Harbor Special Victims School Safety Taxi Squad Transit Bureau Transportation Bureau
Boroughs	List Manhattan North Manhattan South Brooklyn North Brooklyn South Queens North Queens South Bronx Staten Island
Facilities
Commands	76 Precincts 12 Transit Districts 9 Housing Police Service Areas
Police cars	8,839
Police boats	11
Helicopters	8
Horses	120
Dogs	31 German Shepherds 3 Bloodhounds
Website
Official Site
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

The New York City Police Department (NYPD), established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States,^[2] with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. The NYPD is one of the oldest police departments established in the United States; tracing its roots back to the first Dutch eight man night watch in 1625, when New York City was New Amsterdam.^[3] It has its headquarters at One Police Plaza in Lower Manhattan.^[4]

Overview

The NYPD has a broad array of specialized services, including the Emergency Services Unit, K-9, harbor patrol, air support, bomb disposal, anti-terrorism, criminal intelligence, anti-gang, narcotics, public transportation, and public housing; The New York City Transit Police and New York City Housing Authority Police Department were fully integrated into the NYPD in 1995. NYPD has extensive crime scene investigation and laboratory resources, as well as units which assist with computer crime investigations. The NYPD runs an anticrime computer network, essentially a large search engine and data warehouse operated by detectives to assist officers in the field with their investigations.^[5] According to the department, its mission is to "enforce the laws, preserve the peace, reduce fear, and provide for a safe environment."

Members of the NYPD are frequently referred to by the nickname New York's Finest. The NYPD is headquartered at One Police Plaza located on Park Row across the street from City Hall.

In June 2004, there were about 40,000 sworn officers plus several thousand support staff; In June 2005, that number dropped to 35,000. As of November 2007, it had increased to slightly over 36,000 with the graduation of several classes from the New York City Police Academy. The NYPD's current authorized uniformed strength is 35,100.^[6] There are also approximately 4,500 Auxiliary Police Officers, 5,000 School Safety Agents, 2,300 Traffic Enforcement Agents, and 370 Traffic Enforcement Supervisors currently employed by the department.

History

Main article: History of the New York City Police Department

Salary and retention issues

One Police Plaza, headquarters of the New York City Police Department in Lower Manhattan.

After years of bitter wrangling that saw starting pay for new officers fall to as low as $25,100 a year, the city and the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association on August 21, 2008 reached agreement on a new four-year contract.^[7]

The contract, which runs from August 1, 2006 to July 31, 2010, gives police officers a 17 percent pay raise over its four-year life, and raises starting pay from $35,881 to $41,975, and top pay from $65,382 to approximately $76,000 annually. With longevity pay, holiday pay, night shift differential and other non-guaranteed additions, the total annual compensation for officers receiving top pay will be approximately $90,829. It should also be noted that this is the first contract since 1994 the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and the City of New York mutually agreed on without involving a mediator.^[8][9]

While an improvement on the expired contract, the new terms still leave a substantial gap between the NYPD and nearby departments that pay considerably more, up to $50,000 for new hires and over $100,000 for more experienced officers.^[10] Over the years, thousands of city officers have left for higher paying jobs with other agencies, notably the Nassau County Police Department, the Suffolk County Police Department, Westchester County police departments, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police of New York and the Port Authority Police of New York and New Jersey.^[11] Discontent over pay issues has become so widespread and so well-known that higher-paying departments in lower cost-of-living areas, such as the Rochester, New York Police,^[12] the Albuquerque, New Mexico Police,^[13] and the Seattle Police Department,^[14] are actively recruiting NYPD officers to join their forces.

Police departments in nearby Rockland County and Westchester County have top base salaries ranging from around $55,000 to $115,000, not counting longevity, uniform pay, overtime and benefits. In 2007 a Westchester County Department of Public Safety officer reportedly made over $250,000 (with overtime), making him the highest paid police officer in the United States.

Large numbers of NYPD officers have also migrated to the New York City Fire Department, where, even though pay is comparable with that of the NYPD, work schedules are more attractive and relations with the public more amicable.^[15] Contract changes in 2006, however, now forbid the prior practice of allowing police officers who join the fire department to transfer their seniority for compensation purposes. With all new firefighters now compelled to begin working at the same starting pay, the number of NYPD officers "rolling over" to the FDNY is likely to fall considerably.^[16]

NYPD graduation ceremony in Madison Square Garden, July 2005.

Some NYPD officers charge that the department's leadership is seeking to stem the flow of officers to other jurisdictions by administrative means.^[17] In January 2006, 35 NYPD officers seeking to move to the Port Authority Police sued the New York department, claiming that it was refusing to make their personnel records available to PAPD background investigators. The plaintiffs won an injunction at the trial level, but the Appellate Division in January 2007 overturned that ruling and ordered the case to trial.

For its part, the NYPD claims its actions are merely in line with the personnel practices of other employers and that there is no "stealth" effort to prevent officers from moving elsewhere. Nonetheless, it is a fact that no NYPD officers have been included in the last two PAPD police academy classes as a result.^[18]

Despite these obstacles, there are signs that the exodus from the NYPD may be accelerating. In 2007, 990 officers resigned before becoming eligible for retirement, on top of 902 who left in 2006, 867 in 2005 and 635 in 2004, which makes for an attrition rate of around two percent. While Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly insists that figure compares positively with turnover rates in private industry, police union officials argue that the proper comparison should be with prior years on the NYPD. In 1991, for example, only 159 officers left early, for an attrition rate of less than one half of one percent.^[19][20]

Ranks of the NYPD

There are three career "tracks" in the New York City Police Department. The supervisory track consists of 12 sworn titles, referred to as ranks. Promotion to the ranks of sergeant, lieutenant and captain are made via competitive civil service examinations. Promotion to the ranks of deputy inspector, inspector and chief are made at the discretion of the police commissioner, after successfully passing all three civil service exams. Promotion from the rank of Police Officer to Detective is determined by the current police labor contract with approval of the Police Commissioner. The entry level appointment to detective is third grade or specialist. The Police Commissioner may grant discretionary grades of first or second grade. These grades roughly correspond to compensation equivalent to supervisors. Specifically, a second grade detective's pay roughly corresponds to a sergeant and a first grade detective's pay roughly corresponds to a lieutenant. Detectives are police officers that have been given titles and have no supervisory authority. A Detective First Grade still falls under the command of a Sergeant or above. Similar to detective grades, Sergeants and Lieutenants also can receive pay grade increases within their rank.

The other two tracks are the "investigative" track and the "specialist" track.

Title	Insignia	Uniform Shirt Color
Chief of Department		White
Bureau Chief		White
Assistant Chief		White
Deputy Chief		White
Inspector		White
Deputy Inspector		White
Captain		White
Lieutenant		White
Sergeant		Dark Blue
Detective		Dark Blue
Police Officer		Dark Blue

There are two basic types of detective on the NYPD: "detective-investigators" and "detective-specialists".

Detective-Investigators are the type most people associate with the term "detective" and are the ones most frequently portrayed on television and in the movies. Most police officers gain their detective title by working in the Narcotics Division of the NYPD's Organized Crime Control Bureau and are then moved to the Detective Bureau. Detectives assigned to squads are co-located within each precinct and are responsible for investigating murders, rapes, robberies, burglaries and other crimes within that precinct's boundaries. Other detective-investigators are assigned to specialized units at either the major command or citywide level, investigating terrorist groups, organized crime, narcotics dealing, extortion, bias crimes, political corruption, kidnappings, major frauds or thefts committed against banks or museums, police corruption, contractor fraud and other complex, politically sensitive or high-profile cases. A squad of detective-investigators are also assigned to each of the city's five district attorney's offices. (Arsons are investigated by fire marshals, who are part of the New York City Fire Department.)

Promotion from Police Officer to Detective-Investigator is based on investigative experience. Typically, a Police Officer who is assigned to an investigative assignment for 18 months will be designated "Detective-Investigator" and receive the gold shield and pay increase commensurate with that designation. In the recent past, however, there has been controversy over the budget-conscious department compelling police officers to work past the 18 months without receiving the new title.

Newly appointed detectives start at Detective Third Grade, which has a pay rate roughly between that of Police Officers and Sergeants. As they gain seniority and experience, they can be "promoted" to Detective Second-Grade, which has a pay grade slightly less than sergeants. Detective First-Grade is an elite designation for the department's most senior and experienced investigators and carries a pay grade slightly less than Lieutenants. All these promotions are discretionary on the part of the Commissioner and can be revoked if warranted. And while senior detectives can give directions to junior detectives in their own squads, not even the most senior detective can lawfully issue orders to even a junior patrol officer. All Detective grades still fall under the "chain of command" of the Supervisory ranks beginning with Sergeant through Chief of Department. Detectives, like Police Officers, are eligible to take the promotional civil service exams for entry into the Supervisory ranks.

While carrying with them increased pay and prestige, none of these Detective grades confer on the holder any supervisory authority. And contrary to what is often portrayed by Hollywood, there is no specific rank of "Detective Sergeant" or "Detective Lieutenant". Lieutenants and Sergeants are assigned to oversee Detective squads as Supervisors, and are responsible for all investigations.

A lieutenant (white shirt) debriefing officers in Times Square.

However, that "Hollywood portrayal" is sourced with the small percentage of Lieutenants and Sergeants who excel as Investigative Supervisors (approximately equal to 10% of their respective ranks) and are granted the prestigious pay grade designations of "Sergeant - Supervisor Detective Squad" (SDS), or Lieutenant - Commander Detective Squad (CDS) therefore assuming full Investigative command responsibility as opposed to operational supervision. Their pay grade rises to an approximate mid-point between their normal rank and the next highest rank's pay grade, and similar to a Detective's "grade", is also a discretionary promotion. This pay grade designation is achieved by assignment to Investigative units, i.e. Detective Bureau, Internal Affairs Bureau, Counter-Terrorism Bureau, Intelligence Bureau, and Organized Crime Control Bureau. Lieutenants and Sergeants in non-investigatory assignments can be designated Lieutenant-Special Assignment or Sergeant-Special Assignment, pay equivalent to their investigative counterparts.

"Detective-specialists" are a relatively new designation and one unique to the NYPD. In the 1980s, many detectives resented that some officers were being granted the rank of detective in order to give them increased pay and status, but were not being assigned to investigative duties. Examples included officers assigned as bodyguards and drivers to the mayor, police commissioner and other senior officials.

To remedy this situation, the rank of detective-specialist was created. These officers are typically found in specialized units because they possess a unique or esoteric skill the department needs, e.g., crime-scene techs, sharpshooter, bomb technician, scuba instructor, helicopter instructor, sketch artist, etc. Like detective-investigators, detective-specialists start at third grade and can be promoted to second- or first-grade status.

The Department is administered and governed by the Police Commissioner, who is appointed by the Mayor. Technically, the commissioner serves a five-year term; as a practical matter, the commissioner serves at the Mayor's pleasure. The commissioner in turn appoints numerous deputy commissioners. The commissioner and his subordinate deputies are civilians under an oath of office and are not uniformed members of the force who are sworn officers of the law. However, a police commissioner who comes up from the uniformed ranks retains that status while serving as police commissioner. This has ramifications for their police pensions and the fact that any police commissioner who is considered sworn does not need a pistol permit to carry a firearm, and does retain the statutory powers of a police officer. Some police commissioners (like Ray Kelly) do carry a personal firearm, but they also have a full-time security detail from the Police Commissioner's (Detective) Squad.

A First Deputy Police Commissioner may have a security detail when he/she acts as commissioner or under other circumstances as approved by the police commissioner.

Commissioner titles:

Title	Insignia
Police Commissioner
First Deputy Commissioner
Deputy Commissioner

These individuals are administrators who supersede the Chief of Department, and they usually specialize in areas of great importance to the Department, such as counter-terrorism, operations, training, public information, legal matters, intelligence, and information technology. Despite their role, as civilian administrators of the Department, they are prohibited from taking operational control of a police situation (with the exception of the Commissioner and the First Deputy Commissioner).

Within the rank structure, there are also designations, known as "grades", that connote differences in duties, experience, and pay. However, supervisory functions are generally reserved for the rank of sergeant and above.

Badges in the New York City Police Department are referred to as "shields" (the traditional term). Lower-ranked police officers are identified by their shield numbers, and tax registry number. Lieutenants and above do not have shield numbers and are identified by tax registry number. All sworn members of NYPD have their I.D. card photos taken against a red background. Civilian employees of the NYPD have their I.D. card photos taken against a blue background, signifying that they are not commissioned to carry a firearm. All ID cards have an expiration date. Sworn police officers are referred to as "UMOS" or, uniformed members of the service, while the term "MOS" can refer to either a sworn Police Officer or a civilian member of the department.

Organization and structure

Main article: Organization of the New York City Police Department

The Department is divided into ten bureaus, six of which are enforcement bureaus. Each enforcement bureau is sub-divided into sections, divisions, and units, and into patrol boroughs, precincts, and detective squads. Each Bureau is commanded by a Bureau Chief (such as the Chief of Patrol, the Chief of Housing, Chief of Internal Affairs). There are also a number of specialized units (such as the Operations Unit and Compstat) that are not part of any of the Bureaus and report to the Chief of the Department.

Line of duty deaths

Between December 25, 1806 and August 25, 2009, the NYPD has lost 780 officers in the line of duty. This figure includes officers from agencies that were absorbed by or became a part of the modern NYPD in addition to the modern department itself. This number also includes officers killed on and off duty by gunfire of other officers on duty. The NYPD lost 23 officers in the September 11, 2001, attacks, as well as 31 officers as a result of illness contracted from inhaling toxic chemicals while working long hours at Ground Zero and Fresh Kills Landfill.^[21]

Type	number	Type	number
9/11 related[23]	31	Terrorist	10
Aircraft accident	7	Animal related	17
Asphyxiation	2	Assault	31
Automobile accident	51	Bicycle accident	4
Boating accident	5	Bomb	2
Drowned	12	Duty related illness	10
Electrocuted	5	Explosion	8
Exposure	1	Fail	12
Fire	14	Gunfire	321
Gunfire (accidental)	24	Heart attack	44
Motorcycle accident	36	Stabbed	24
Struck by streetcar	7	Struck by train	5
Struck by vehicle	37	Structure collapse	3
Terrorist attack	24	Vehicle pursuit	12
Vehicular assault	20	Total	780

Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB)

Main article: Civilian Complaint Review Board

Misconduct

Main article: Scandals and allegations of the New York City Police Department

Corruption in The New York Police Department

Corruption is part of the history of the NYPD.^[24] Cases of corruption were reported since 1844. Most notable investigations happened in 1913,1930 and 1950. In 1970 officers Frank Serpico and David Durk denounced systemic curruption to the NY Times in an article that forced Mayor Lindsay to creatye the Knapp Comission in 1971.^[25]

Since the NYPD's founding in 1845, great police scandals have convulsed the city every 20 years, like clockwork. Each has conformed to the same pattern: Popular outrage sparked an official investigation that culminated in a trial or public hearing and a series of ineffectual reforms.^[26]

From 1992 to 2008, nearly 2,000 New York Police Department officers were arrested, according to the department’s own annual reports of the Internal Affairs Bureau, an average of 119 a year.^[27] In November 2, 2011 The New York Times published an article Titled "Experts Say N.Y. Police Dept. Isn't Policing Itself. " in it "Seven narcotics investigators are convicted of planting drugs on people to meet arrest quotas. Eight current and former patrol officers are charged with smuggling guns into the state. Another is charged with making a false arrest, apparently as a favor for his cousin. Three more are convicted of robbing a perfume warehouse."^[28] "There is a tiny city agency responsible for monitoring the Internal Affairs Bureau: the Mayor’s Commission to Combat Police Corruption. But it has no subpoena power — it must rely on the department’s good will, and its modest budget and staff of five are spread thin. A new study by the Citizens Crime Commission in New York, provided by Richard Aborn, its president, shows that other major municipal police departments are overseen by agencies that do have subpoena power and can focus more broadly on misconduct. Commentators claim that the size of the Mayor's Comission indicates that Bloomberg has personal interest in keeping NY Police under a veil of impunity.^[29]

Commentators denounce that corruption is now found legal means to influence the action of the NY Police Dept. It has become embed in the system, as the law allows for large donations from corporations. Beginning in 2010 NYPD received $4.6 million donation from JP Morgan, press release (mirror) states “the largest donation in the history of the foundation” ^[30] A law that causes a sweeping change to how NYPD officers of all ranks are disciplined by the police commissioner sailed through the City Council, the state Legislature and the governor s office without careful consideration, public comment or press attention. This law removed a powerful tool in fighting corruption and breaking down the blue wall of silence. As a result, police officers found guilty of serious misconduct or criminal charges will keep their full pension. Only if an officer is convicted of a felony must the officer forfeit the pension. No longer can a police commissioner, charged with disciplining NYPD s officers, exercise discretion to dismiss a corrupt or brutal veteran officer from police service without a pension.^[31]

Corruption allegations are nothing new to the NYPD. However, the city has not seen system-wide corruption since the plain-clothes officer Frank Serpico testified to an investigating commission in 1971 that his fellow officers were taking millions of dollars in pay-offs from criminals.^[32]

In a time when corporate corruption is being denounced by popular movements such as Occupy Wall Street many protesters and commentators find that accepting such large sums of money from entities that are being accused of financial crimes against the population constitutes a form of state corruption that needs to be investigated, persecuted, dismantled and criminalized. ^[33] New York City Police Commissioner [Raymond Kelly] sent CEO and Chairman [Jamie Dimon] a note expressing “profound gratitude” for the company’s donation. ^[34]

The Occupy Movement repeatedly denounced NY Police brutality over peaceful protestors. A video of A police official using pepper-spray on female protesters received wide attention and force the Department to investigate and punish Officer Bologna, who was further removed to Staten Island.^[35]

A video on youtube of United States Marine Corps. Sgt. Shamar Thomas from Roosevelt, NY denouncing the New York Police Department dishonorable use of force against unarmed civilians has reached close to 3 million views. An activist in the Occupy Wall Street movement, Thomas voiced his opinions of the NYPD police brutality that had and has been plaguing the #OWS movement. ^[36] Websites displaying images of NY Police brutality have populated the web.^[37] His speech helped inspire the formation of Occupy Marines.^[38]

The notion that law enforcement is there to protect a wealthy elite from the rest of the population is not news to those protesters from deprived and ethnic minority backgrounds, many of whom have been subject to intimidation in their communities for years, but for those from more privileged backgrounds, the first spurt of pepper spray to the face is an important education in the nature of the relationship between state and citizen in the west. "Who do you guys work for?" Shouts one Manhattan protester, as police load arrestees into a van. "You work for JP Morgan Bank!".^[39]

Commentators have repelled the notion that the Police force should be at the service of protecting the interest of a minority in the economic elite. Equal justice is a basic underpinning of a healthy capitalist system. Without prosecutions for the financial crisis, that principle is being eroded. Since the start of the financial crisis, Americans have wondered why, if laws were broken, none of the occupants of Wall Street or other financial centers have been arrested. Now arrests are starting to happen with growing frequency. To date, an estimated 2,511 people have been arrested on Wall Street and elsewhere for activities related to the crisis. Unfortunately, it’s the protesters who account for these arrests. So the tally to date: 2,511 people arrested for disturbing the peace and related activities; no arrests for any of the financiers who broke the law and plunged millions into untold misery.^[40][41] "Equal justice under the law" is a cornerstone of the American Republic. In statues, Lady Justice is blindfolded to symbolize that justice is blind to the differences between the powerful and the weak, the rich and the poor. At [Occupy Wall Street] almost 3,000 people have been arrested for activities that caused minimal, if any, injury to our society. At the same time, no financiers have been arrested for blatant legal violations, probably including extensive fraud, which have led millions of people to suffer and have practically brought our great nation to its knees.^[42]

The [Lawyers Guild] denounces that Police destroying [OWS] property constitutes a legal problem. There have been numerous reports of property destruction either at Zuccotti Park or off site. On November 16, 2011 the destruction became wholesale when the police, under direct orders from Mayor Bloomberg (the 12th richest man in America) silently surrounded Zuccotti Park at 1 am, blocked off the entire area to prevent media from entering and announced new rules banning all tents, sleeping gear,etc. (see media, Countdown & YouTube clips of police violence)

The New York City in KGB-like fashion gave the Occupy Movement - which was exercising their First Amendment right to peaceful protest - little or no time to collect even their thoughts before descending on the groggy crowd with nightsticks swinging. Media were not welcome, in fact they were forcibly detained from photographing or transmitting reports as police snatched their gear from their hands.

Tme NYPD gave sleeping citizens less than 10 minutes to gather their belongings and vacate the park. All belongings: tents, bedrolls, computers, printers, generators, books, clothing etc. were summarily scraped clean from the park into waiting dumpsters and sanitation trucks.[When the protesters' legal team later demanded the return of protesters' property Mayor Bloomberg claimed all items were "safely stored in a sanitation garage."]

Six news reporters, all from different newspaper and TV stations and wearing press credentials who were found inside the barriers which had been erected while protesters slept were physically abused and arrested. Mayor Bloomberg stated this was done "for their protection". (Bloomberg, 2011) Also arrested were over 200 persons: 140 from Zuccotti Park and the rest from 'sweeps' of surrounding streets. (NYPD arrest records, Nov 16,2011, Olberman,K,2011)

The police charged in dressed in full riot gear with dogs, horses and electric shields... with bulldozers standing by. They used L-Rad cannons on unarmed, peacefully sleeping protesters: cannons which were developed by the US military to deter armed terrorists. [These devices send massive waves of ear-piercing, disorienting & painful sounds that can cause permanent hearing loss.] Several reporters stated they saw the Occupy Movement's medical tent - which had sn estimated 18 ill persons on cots - literally shredded by police with the patients still inside.(Harkinson, J,2011) Medical records,valuable diagnostic & treatment equipment & medical supplies were destroyed and the ill persons summarily thrown out with the crowd without even being given time to don coats against cold night air. Several reporters stated police began pepper-spraying as soon as they reached the crowd, despite no resistance being seen. Most persons were still trying to get out of their sleeping bags or tents and were whipped out of their prone positions.

The park was jammed with both (unarmed) protesters and almost a thousand officers. To describe the scene as chaotic would be an understatement. A logjam occurred as protesters, trying to see and breathe through the heavily pepper-sprayed air were head-butted by a 10-deep line of helmeted police, shoved, struck and knocked to the ground & trampled by officers who had orders to use 'all force at will' [per anonymous NYPD officers]. City Councilmasn Ydanis Rodriguez, who was on foot on a street approaching the park to witness the goings-on in person as police began their push was struck, knocked-down, sustaining a head injury. He, a councilman, was unbelievably arrested simply for having come to see what was happening! Some 14 hours later he was released: the delay due mainly to the fact protesters - after strip searching, fingerprinting & photographing - had been jammed like sardines into holding cells and no provision for rapid processing of the arrestees had been arranged. Lawyers could not get to their clients, nor were judges awakened to hear pleas & set bail so those arrested were helpless until the courts opened at 8 am.

This all took place on the same day Syrian safety forces defected from their government positions citing too many civilian deaths, physical abuse and denial of personal freedoms. Instead of attacking their fellow citizens with tear gas, shock grenades and riot gear they sided with them: they turned their riot gear on their corrupt masters - blowing up tanks, assault vehicles, & government offices. Sadly, these foreign officers acted more humanely than the NYPD officers, all of whom have taken oaths to uphold the Constitution of the United States. The NYPD with its long history of corruption and abuse is more reminiscent of the former Soviet KGB than of the supposed 'peace' officers they claim to be.

When protesters tried to return to the park bearing documents from State Supreme Court justice Lucy Billings stating the protesters had been illegally evicted and their First Amendment rights violated, and that they were to be permitted back into the park 'forthwith' every police officer given a copy of the ruling refused to obey the orders and forcibly turned away any who attempted to enter the area around the park. Until they had orders from their superiors (Mayor Bloomberg) no court order was to be validated or followed.

This has not gone unnoticed by the New York Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. "It's on our radar," says veteran civil-rights attorney Daniel Alterman in an interview with The Huffington Post. Alterman says the middle-of-the-night police raid and eviction is a tactic that will back fire. He argues that Bloomberg's claim of health and safety concerns are "bogus." Aside from the generator issue, the activists at Zuccotti Park received no health-code warnings, citations or notices. "There's no health and safety issue," Alterman says. Alterman explains that the timing of the raid had everything to do with Thursday's protest. "That's what makes it bad for them," he says. "It appears to be pretextual and directly related... Why the rush? It's not like Typhoid Mary spreading cholera."^[43]

Legal protection for violent acts perpetrated by the Police has been part of its history, Section 1656(975) of The Law of Municipal Corporations was written to protect the Police in cases when slaves was killed in the course of Police action. Political activists claim that the unconstitutional and unethical consequences of this code need to be addressed. Commentaries on the law of municipal corporations, Volume 4 By John Forrest Dillon

After the eviction of [Occupy Wall Street] some protesters are focused on The Inpeachment of Mayor Bloomberg;Impeachment in the United States for creating a Police State, transforming The New York police into a Corporate force to protect the interests of the 1% richest and persecute popular manifestations against these same corporations. [[4]] On November 15, 2011, immediately after the eviction of Occupy Wall Street by the New York City Police Department, the National Lawyers' Guild's Liberty Park Legal Working Group filed a lawsuit and emergency motion for injunctive relief against The City of New York for violating the Constitutional First Amendment rights of the Wall Street protesters in Liberty Plaza by effecting the pre-dawn eviction. The National Lawyers Guild obtained a court order allowing the protesters to return with their tents to the park, where they have camped for two months. The guild said the injunction prevents the city from enforcing park rules on the protesters who are now looking for squatters rights, despite park rules banning camping overnight. [[5]] At a morning news conference, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the evacuation was conducted in the middle of the night "to reduce the risk of confrontation in the park, and to minimize disruption to the surrounding neighborhood." Hundreds of police officers surrounded the park overnight in riot gear, holding plastic shields and batons which were used in some cases on protesters. Police flooded the park with klieg lights and used bull horns to announce that everyone had to leave. About 70 people were arrested overnight, including some who chained themselves together. Others chanted or shouted angrily at police and vowed to march in protest. Bloomberg said the city knew about the court order but had not seen it and would go to court to fight it. Reported on Fox News.[[6]]

Bloomberg's refusal to comply with the law when it does not agree with the interests of the economic elite that he represents has been acknowledged as grounds for a process of impeachment and for legal intervention and criminal investigation of the relationship between New York City Police Commissioner [Raymond Kelly] and [J.P. Morgan] CEO and Chairman [Jamie Dimon]. [[7]][[8]]At around 6 AM on November 15, 2011, attorneys associated with the New York City Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild working as the Liberty Park Legal Working Group obtained a temporary restraining order against the City of New York, various City agencies, and Brookfield properties directing that occupiers be allowed back on the premises with their belongings. [[9]] At 12:20am on November 15th, 2011, Lawyers from The National Lawyers Guild claimed that the police, the mayor and Brookville Properties are currently in violation of court orders by not allowing protesters back into the park, according to Margaret Ratner Kunstler, an attorney with the National Lawyers Guild, the group representing the protesters. The temporary restraining order signed at 6:30 a.m. by New York Supreme Court judge Lucy Billings allowed for the protesters to return to the park with their tents, but the city filed a response within the last half hour indicating that they disagree with the decision to allow the tents to come back to the park, according to Kunstler.[[10]] [[11]]Throughout the day Occupy Wall Street protesters locked in legal battle with New York's Michael Bloomberg. [[12]]

Medals

Main article: Medals of the New York City Police Department

Demographics

As of 2009, the NYPD was 47.5% Caucasian, 28.9% Hispanic, 17.9% African American and 5.5% Asian compared to a city that was 33.7% Caucasian, 29.6% Hispanic (of any race), 23.9% African American, and 13.3% Asian.^[44]

Affiliations

• The department is affiliated with the New York City Police Foundation and the New York City Police Museum.
• The department also runs a Youth Police academy to provide positive interaction with police officers and to educate young people about the challenges and responsibility of police work.
• The department also provides a citizen Police Academy which educates the public on basic law and policing procedures.
• The department also charters a Law Enforcement Explorer Post, for young men and women interested in law enforcement.

Equipment

Vehicles

Vehicle	Country of Manufacture	Type	Notes	Picture
Ford Crown Victoria	Canada	Cruiser
Chevrolet Impala	Canada	Cruiser
Ford Fusion	Mexico	Cruiser
Nissan Altima	United States	Cruiser
Dodge Charger	Canada	Highway patrol cruiser
Toyota Prius	Japan	Traffic enforcement cruiser
Ford Explorer Special Service Vehicle	United States	Patrol and Traffic Enforcement SUV
Chevrolet Tahoe	United States	SUV
Ford E-Series	United States
Westward Go-4 Interceptor	Canada
Cushman Scooter	United States
John Deere Gator	United States
Lenco Peacekeeper	United States	Armored vehicle	2 in use by the ESU
Lenco BearCat	United States	Armored vehicle	2 in use by the ESU
ESU Radio Emergency Patrol	United States	Emergency Service Vehicle	Adapted Ford F-550
ESU Heavy Rescue Truck	United States	Emergency Service Vehicle
Communications van		Communications van
Communications Division Command Post		Communications van
international frame amtran body	United States	Police bus
Nova RTS	Canada	Police bus
Modified Blue Bird All American	United States	Mobile command post
Modified Hummer H1	United States	Disorder Control Unit vehicle
AgustaWestland AW119	United Kingdom	Helicopter
Bell Helicopter Bell 412EP	United States	Helicopter

Firearms

New NYPD officers are allowed to select one of three 9mm service pistols configured in double-action only (DAO): the SIG P226 DAO, Smith & Wesson model 5946, and Glock 19.^[45] All are modified to a 12-pound (53 N) trigger pull.^[46] Prior to 1994 the standard weapon of the NYPD was the Smith and Wesson Model 64 DAO (Double Action Only) .38 Special Revolver with three or four inch barrels. This type of revolver was called the Model NY-1 by the department. From 1926 until 1986 the standard weapons of the department were the Smith and Wesson Model 10 and the Colt Official Police .38 Special Revolvers with four inch barrels. Prior to the issuing of the 9mm semiautomatic pistol NYPD Detectives and plain clothes officers often carried the Colt Detective Special and/or the Smith & Wesson Model 36 "Chief's Special" .38 Special caliber snub-nosed (2-inch) barrel revolvers for their easiness to conceal while dressed in civilian clothes. Officers who were issued revolvers prior to the transition to semi-automatic pistols on January 1, 1994 are "grandfathered" and if so choose can continue to carry a revolver as a duty weapon.

Fictional portrayals

Further information: List of fictional portrayals of the NYPD

See also

	New York City portal
	Law enforcement/Law enforcement topics portal

• Law enforcement in New York City
• Law enforcement in New York
• List of law enforcement agencies in New York
• Adrian Schoolcraft

References

1. ^ Chief Esposito biography at NYPD website
2. ^ US DOJ Statistics 2003
3. ^ History.com
4. ^ "Property Clerk." New York City Police Department. Retrieved on November 5, 2009.
5. ^ From database to crime scene
6. ^ [1]
7. ^ Greenhouse, Steven; Barbaro, Michael (August 22, 2008). "Deal Raises Officers’ Pay 4% a Year". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/nyregion/22pba.html. Retrieved May 20, 2010. 
8. ^ NYPD Officers Get 17 Percent Raises over Four Years
9. ^ Police Officer Contract Breakdown
10. ^ "2005 Duties, 1985 Pay". New York Daily News. June 29, 2005. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/323524p-276555c.html. 
11. ^ Pierre-Pierre, Garry (October 8, 1995). "They're Tried, They're True, But How Long Do They Stay?". The New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60617FD3B550C7B8CDDA90994DD494D81. ^{[dead link]}
12. ^ "Offers Higher Salary: Upstate City Makes Case to NYPD Cops". The Chief-Leader. October 6, 2006. http://www.thechief-leader.com/news/2006/1006/news/005.html. 
13. ^ Hersh, Joshua (January 7, 2008). "Unlikely Recruits Heed the Call of the Sagebrush". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/nyregion/thecity/27albu.html?scp=2&sq=%22Nassau+County+Police%22&st=nyt. Retrieved May 20, 2010. 
14. ^ White, Michael (April 4, 2008). "Seattle Police Department Scheming to Steal cops from the Shrinking NYPD". The New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/04/04/2008-04-04_seattle_police_department_scheming_to_st.html. 
15. ^ "To Protect and Serve On Another Front; In an Increasing Job Migration, Police Officers Make the Switch From Crime Fighter to Firefighter," by Kevin Flynn, The New York Times, May 31, 1999, Section B; Page 1, Column 2; Metropolitan Desk
16. ^ "Cops Entering FDNY Back At Bottom on Pay; Council Enacts Deal Made Under UFA Wage Accord," by Ginger Adams Otis, The Chief-Leader, April 14, 2006
17. ^ "P.D. Holds Hostage Its PAPD Applicants," by Reuven Blau, The Chief-Leader, January 26, 2007, Page 1, Column 2;
18. ^ "Rule NYPD Can Withhold Officer Files From PA; Has Effect of Blocking Transfers to Gain Higher Pay," by Reuven Blau, The Chief-Leader, January 26, 2007, Page 1, Column 4;
19. ^ "Cop Exits Up 11%; Pay Prime Factor," by Reuven Blau, The Chief-Leader, March 7, 2008.
20. ^ "Alarm Over Cop Exodu$," by Larry Celona and Bill Sanderson, The New York Post, January 25, 2007, Page 4, Column 1.
21. ^ "9/11 by the Numbers". New York Magazine. September 11, 2002. http://nymag.com/news/articles/wtc/1year/numbers.htm. 
22. ^ "The Officer Down Memorial Page". http://odmp.org/agency/2758-new-york-city-police-department-new-york. 
23. ^ New York City police officers who died in the World Trade Center attack [2]
24. ^ Power and Corruption in the Country's Greatest Police Force, Leonard Levitt.
25. ^ The Encyclopedia of Police Science, Jack Greene.
26. ^ Behind the NYPD's Blue Wall of Silence - NYPD A City and Its Police. James Lardner and Thomas Reppetto
27. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/nyregion/28iab.html?pagewanted=all
28. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/03/nyregion/experts-say-ny-police-dept-isnt-policing-itself.html?src=un&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjson8.nytimes.com%2Fpages%2Fnyregion%2Findex.jsonp
29. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/03/nyregion/experts-say-ny-police-dept-isnt-policing-itself.html?pagewanted=2&src=un&feedurl=http://json8.nytimes.com/pages/nyregion/index.jsonp
30. ^ http://www.jpmorganchase.com/corporate/Home/article/ny-13.htm
31. ^ http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/nypd-benefits-control-crooked-cops-pensions-article-1.967546#ixzz1dmuxp7Y7
32. ^ http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/friends_of_ours/2009/03/the-new-york-post-reports-thatmore-than-100-of-new-yorks-finest-were-investigated-last-year-for-allegedly-associating-with-cr.html
33. ^ http://theelitist.net/nypd-receives-jp-morgan-donation-mass-arrest-of-protesters-at-occupywallstreet
34. ^ http://www.greanvillepost.com/2011/10/18/jp-morgan-chase-donates-4-6-million-to-nypd-on-eve-of-protests
35. ^ http://www.observer.com/2011/09/occupy-wall-street-update-alleged-police-brutality-caught-on-film-video/
36. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmEHcOc0Sys
37. ^ http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/violent-pictures-from-occupy-wall-street-protests
38. ^ “Semper Fi: Non-active Marines called to 'Occupy'”, CBS news 24 October 2011
39. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/15/occupy-wall-street-police-violence?newsfeed=true
40. ^ http://www.truth-out.org/unequal-justice-banker-arrests-0-protester-arrests-2511/1319991897Unequal Justice: Banker Arrests, Zero; Protester Arrests, 2,511.
41. ^ http://www.newdeal20.org/2011/10/27/unequal-justice-banker-arrests-0-protester-arrests-2511-62928
42. ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-judson/occupy-arrests_b_1034907.html
43. ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/15/zuccotti-park-evacuation_n_1094164.html#2106_lawyers-guild-police-destroying-ows-property-a-problem
44. ^ [3]
45. ^ "Training Bureau". nyc.gov. http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/training_nypd/firearm_tatics.shtml. Retrieved 2009-12-02. 
46. ^ Massad Ayoob (December 1999), "Trendy Guns Don't Sell Like The Classics", Shooting Industry, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3197/is_12_44/ai_59247757/ 

External links

• NYPD official website
• New York City Police Department collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• "With The Sky Police", January 1932, Popular Mechanics 1931 article about the New York City Police Air Force and the Keystone-Loening Commuter in service at that time, photos page 26, 29 and 30.