NYPD lieutenant who oversaw postal worker’s rough arrest stripped of badge and gun

Original Story

The NYPD lieutenant who supervised the cursing plainclothes cops who arrested an on-duty postal worker in Brooklyn earlier this month has been stripped of his badge and gun, the Daily News has learned.

Lt. Luis Machado was placed on modified duty in connection with the embarrassingly volatile clash between cops and postal employee Glen Grays in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

Machado and three cops were zipping along in an unmarked car on March 17 when they nearly struck Grays postal truck, officials said.

Grays shouted at the driver, who threw the car in reverse and screamed back at the mail carrier.

CUFFED MAILMAN WANTS APOLOGY FROM BRATTON

The four plainclothes cops got out of the car, slapped him in handcuffs, frisked him and carted him off to the 71st Precinct stationhouse where he was charged with resisting arrest.

Video of the arrest has gone viral and sparked an Internal Affairs Bureau investigation.

Earlier this week, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said he had “strong concerns” about the officers’ actions.

Machado and his team — Police Officers Lazo Lluka, Miguel Rodriguez and David Savella — were immediately pulled from the elite conditions unit they were assigned to, Bratton said.

“I am very interested in the charge that was made against this individual, what he was arrested for and the validity of that,” Bratton said Tuesday. “Based on what I witnessed on the various videos I've reviewed I have strong concerns about the charge against that individual."

Grays, whose fiancee is a city cop, told the News Wednesday that he wants an apology from the officers.

He agrees that they should be disciplined, but they should not lose their jobs, he said.

“Honestly speaking, we're all human, we all make mistakes, but lately a lot of mistakes have been made by police officers,” Grays said.

BRATTON 'NOT PLEASED' WITH COPS WHO ARRESTED MAILMAN

On Wednesday Patrick Lynch, head of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, cautioned against a “rush to judgment.”

“Everyone, including the police commissioner, should withhold public comment until all the facts are in,” Lynch said.

He also put part of the blame on Grays.

“No one ever has the right to resist arrest,” Lynch continued. “Compliance is not optional.”

Compliance is not optional.


Compliance is not optional.


Compliance is not optional.

Just thought that beared repeating, and I know someone will stroll in and explain that any order given by an officer is a lawful order and the above statement is true, how can any really believe it in a case such as this; where four plain clothes officers arrest a man for nothing other than shouting at them in traffic?

You could certainly argue, "if we endorse the citizens right to resist what they perceive to be unlawful detainment, our authority is undermined and more people will resist". God forbid though, god forbid you can't make illegitimate arrests just to ruin peoples days because they might be inclined to resist your orders. God forbid your authoritarian streak be called to account when you objectively abuse your power.

God forbid the police just offer the apology the man asked for, rather than draw this out because "we can't be seen as wrong".

a reply to: eNumbra

great title.

This should extend beyond courtesy between public servants and apply to their masters (the public)

originally posted by: wisvol
a reply to: eNumbra

great title.

This should extend beyond courtesy between public servants and apply to their masters (the public)

I, along with many in our country, are getting so SICK and TIRED of police officers abusing their powers. What is even MORE sickening, is the slap on the wrist, or even LACK THEREOF they often receive after said incidents.

One of the things police departments will need to do if they want to earn back the trust of the public is to start severely punishing officers who violate the rights of others.

I think they're going to be hard put to prove resisting. But, on the other hand, a Federal judge could probably put the cops in prison for about five years each.

a reply to: supermarket2012

One of the things police departments will need to do if they want to earn back the trust of the public is to start severely punishing officers who violate the rights of others.

The corrupt police departments throughout history give zero #s about the public's trust or consent or well being or life.
So domestic enemies basically.

LOL, "compliance is not optional".

We'll see.

a reply to: eNumbra

A bystander’s cellphone video shows the officers arresting him on a charge of disorderly conduct following a brief exchange, leaving his postal truck double-parked and abandoned on a busy street.

www.wsj.com...

a reply to: eNumbra

It seems too many police officers have thin skin. First of all they should have acknowledged they were in an unmarked police car and realized the verbal cussing was related to them almost hitting the guys truck. So just because this guy pissed them off for cursing at them, they use their authority to arrest this guy instead of apologizing and calming the situation down.

That's all we need is non-violent offenders being arrested and filling our already crowded jails. The police in this country need to have better training on how to calm and defuse non-violent situations. As soon as someone pushes their buttons, they immediately want to throw the cuffs on them. This certainly doesn't improve the public's trust and positive outlook with the police.