NYPD: Meet Stop and Frisk Quota or Deliver Pizzas, Officers told!

It's a dark day indeed to hear these things confirmed in clear and absolute terms by someone who has not just a year or two in the NYPD, but 8 long years there. It's an interesting thing to see that an Officer steps forward to declare these things to the world and under Oath in open court.

Some may suggest he's doing this out of revenge for being suspended on an allegation of filing false arrest paperwork, however....I'd say the overall story supports the idea that such allegations were busy work charges to simply get him off the job and out of a position to hear more to talk about. Let me share some particulars as it's happening in an NYC court room right now.

MANHATTAN (CN) - Bronx police brass told the rank-and-file that if they refused to meet quotas, they would have to "drive the sergeant" or deliver pizzas, a suspended veteran officer testified Tuesday at a trial challenging stop-and-frisk practices.
Opening arguments began Monday in a trial challenging the NYPD's stop-and-frisk tactics. The New York Civil Liberties Union claims the trial began just after the NYPD stopped and frisked its 5 millionth person.

Okay, that's rude at best but this isn't Burger King telling the front line people to screw more customers on up-sells. This is a Police Commander threatening poor assignments or worse if actions aren't performed in a set number. Actions which, each and every time, impact the life of a citizen on the street.

One of these officers, Adhyl Polanco, testified on Tuesday. Polanco is an eight-year veteran of the NYPD, currently on suspension.
He said that in 2005, he spent his first six months on the force working in a so-called "Impact Zone," an NYPD operation that sends large numbers of rookie officers to high-crime areas.
During the next three years as a patrol officer in the 41st Precinct, Polanco said he learned, "There's a difference between written policies and what really goes on out there."

I should say so on there being a major difference. That much is plain to see and it's a whopper. Quotas are a real bad thing...and I hadn't thought they were legal for law enforcement work precisely for the abuse they almost come to require to some extent, regardless. What if it's been a few slow days? Crimes aren't busy on their shifts and the criminals are just not on the street much for whatever reason? How many normal people get jacked up so the numbers look good for the threats out of Commanders?

There is another major point here. To think his accusations are all fluffy because he's on a suspension which I'm guessing won't end would be a bit hasty. See, the subject of the story wasn't stupid. Not at all. He recorded some of this while it was happening.

But Polanco said his supervisors were not satisfied with his "Monthly Activity Report" from January 2009, which was filled with duties that did not include arrests and summonses.
That summer, he said, "I started recording [roll calls] because I couldn't believe what I was hearing."
He said his supervisors demanded "Twenty summonses and one arrest per officer, at least."
And, Polanco claimed, "They said they wanted at least five [street stops]."
Polanco testified that one sergeant told officers that "if we didn't want to be a pizza delivery man, we better do what they say."

Source

As the story goes on, the tapes of these statements (and much more apparently) are among the items they intend to play for the court as the trial moves forward. This could be a very interesting one to watch. It's interesting that I'm not hearing much about it anywhere else.

I suppose that adds something to consider for New Yorker's. The routine stop for something may not be routine at all......and it's outcome to an arrest may be predetermined before it's even really begun due to the pressure to fill pre-set numbers or else.

Perhaps Bloomberg needs to put down the Big Gulp, step away slowly and look toward his Police Department. They seem to be in some serious need of attention just now and this happened while he's been Mayor anyway. Something needs fixed....and it's not sugary drinks! What say everyone else?

New York has the most nazi laws of anywhere. they're like the freakin gestapo. any one who partakes in illicit substances would be far better off basically anywhere else. I don't even see how stop an frisk is legal. what happened to probable cause. any one who knows their law, knows these backdoors against our liberties are mindbogglingly contrary to the constitution. can you say police state?

reply to post by Wrabbit2000
I don't live in New York but have visited there. If I ever go back again if I get stopped and frisked by a police officer for no reason whatsoever I assure you that their police department will be facing a huge sexual assault lawsuit for groping without my consent.

Nah, there's no quota. We've been told so since the 80's. No such thing as a quota.

Anybody still believe that?

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I'm more than happy to see some actual light being shed on this. Having been raised on the East coast, it was no secret that a quota system existed. And I'm talking about the 60's and 70's! At the end and beginning of each month there was always a heavy police presence on the roadways. We all knew to watch our p's and q's during that time frame.

Probably wouldn't be too hard to get the quotas.

Best thing to do is stay away from the police.

Know the law so you know where you stand.

Expect to get violated everytime you go out.

Just don't fear them. They can't take your soul.

reply to post by Toots

Thanks for the added perspective and I *LOVE* the Avatar, by the way.

My father said about the same thing regarding the Southern California department he spent a good part of his life at. Quotas didn't exist there because calling them that was nearly a crime...if not technically one by statute. So, they were performance goals and expectations of activity...or some such flowery language.

What he'd described for ticket quotas was simple enough. The one with his nose the furthest up where watch commanders sit, is who got used to set the bell curve ...and those at the bottom of the curve caught the traffic control assignments at 3am on a rainy morning...directing traffic that didn't exist around an accident that didn't need it.

They do have their ways and it's all about the same in the end, isn't it?

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Thanks for the compliment, Wrabbit! (blush)

Yeah, it's an egregious assault on our senses and liberties when LE can get away with what they do under the color of law. But the end justifies the means.......dirty money!

The system being entrenched with cronyism usually doesn't work in our favor either, as you pointed out.

Years ago, I worked with a couple of guys in a dealership. One, a car salesman and stone cold alcoholic, had been able to buy his way out of 15 DUI's and bragged about it. The other, a young mechanic with 2 young kids, wasn't so lucky. After his 2nd DUI, maybe it was a 3rd...don't quite remember, a judge sentenced him to 2-years in prison.
He served a year before being released.

It isn't shocking this is happening, it is shocking that people are shocked by this.

The Policy Enforcement Department, known as Police for short, is in the BUSINESS of policy enforcement. They are tax collectors, and they collect taxes on people who have broken the official codes of conduct, known as "codes," but not known as laws. Their job is not to help people, they are under no legal or moral obligation to do so, the ONLY reason they do any "community" work, or flat tire help, is public relations - to get people to think the policy enforcement agents are there to help.

Their job is to find situations where taxes, fines, can be collected, or where folks can be imprisoned and to understand why prison is actually a desirable outcome you have to go way down the rabbit hole.

Boy am I glad I don't live anywhere near the big city. Wonderful place to visit, but you couldn't pay me to live there. Up here on the western most fringe of the state the police are nothing like that. Sure we have our hotheads but none of those boneheaded moves like in NYC.