Gotcha! NYPD drones spot subway surfer and man at crime scene, but privacy an issue
'The NYPD's use of drones as a strategic, emergency response saves lives on our subway system and streets,' the department said in a statement, 'allows for an immediate deployment to dangerous situations, and, ultimately, protects everyday New Yorkers.
Critics of the emerging technology, though, have been less than enthusiastic, calling drones more of a novelty than a way to improve public safety. They worry that the department does not care enough about the privacy concerns that have been publicly raised.
Albert Fox Cahn, who heads the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP), acknowledged drones can be effective in certain situations — such as water rescues. But he said there are already enough cameras to record subway surfers and that taxpayer money should be spent on other measures.
'Drones can respond to tragedies but they can't keep us safe,' Cahn said. 'Drones are gimmicks. Gimmicks can pay off on occasion but it's not a smart way to invest our tax dollars when you're talking about something that is helpful just sometimes and is ripe for abuse.'
The NYPD last month announced it was stepping up its use of drones with a five precinct pilot program in which the electronic devices would be sent out, along with patrol officers, on certain 911 calls, with the department noting a drone can often get to a scene before officers in a police cruiser.
The department also said that drones this year have helped nab 31 subway surfers through April. In a video obtained by the Daily News, a drone on the afternoon of April 2 spotted Isaiah Thompson, 29, as he rode outside the last car on the J train in Williamsburg.
The drone zooms in on Thompson, who does not appear to realize he is being watched. The video later shows him crossing the tracks at the Hewes St. station. When he gets to the other side of the tracks a plainclothes officer leads him onto the platform, where he is arrested and charged with reckless endangerment and trespass. Thompson's case is pending; his lawyer did not respond to request for comment.
In the other video, an NYPD drone on the evening of April 12 was dispatched to a ShotSpotter alert in the Bronx, by E. 18th St. near Marion Ave., police said. With officers on patrol not yet on scene, the drone zooms in on Lawrence Taylor, 23, atop an apartment building roof, pacing back and forth and picking items up off the ground.
The video shows Taylor a short time later leaving the building and, as he is about to cross the street, put his arms up at the sight of a police cruiser that is now on scene. Officers are seen getting out, moving Taylor to the ground and arresting him.
Taylor, no relation to the NFL Hall of Fame linebacker, was charged with tampering with evidence — eight 9mm shell casings he had hid in his right shoe, according to a court criminal complaint.
Police said any shell casings that are recovered are analyzed to see if they can be linked to any other shootings.
Cary (cq) London, Taylor's lawyer, predicted the case would be dismissed, saying 'there was no attempt to tamper or conceal evidence.'
London also said that while technology 'can be a helpful tooli n public safety we must ensure it doesn't come at the expense of privacy rights or lead to over-policing in communities already subject to disproportionate surveillance.'
The NYPD said it is aware of such concerns and that it 'has worked with good government groups to address privacy concerns and looks forward to our continued collaboration in keeping our city safe.'
Last May, the NYPD inspector general in a report said the police department was still not fully compliant with the terms of the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act.
The NYPD said that two months ago it accepted all 10 of the recommendation made by monitor so that it could comply with the POST Act.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
8 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Family of Korean War MIA from Aurora gather for road dedication and to fill in missing pieces of longtime mystery
The family of Army Sgt. First Class Ogden Neil Thompson descended on Aurora this weekend from across the country – South Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi, Washington – to pay tribute to this local hero, but also to tackle a mystery. On Saturday morning, a portion of Route 25 from Sullivan Road to Ashland Avenue was dedicated in honor of Thompson, the second of four such events to keep alive the memories of those from the Fox Valley who paid the ultimate sacrifice for this country. Thompson served in the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, and was stationed near Unsan, North Korea, when, on Nov. 1, 1950, during a surprise Chinese offensive, his unit was overrun in one of the most intense battles of the Korean War. Thompson's body was never recovered and he was officially declared presumed dead on Dec. 31, 1953, making him one of 394 Illinois service members still missing from this war. According to state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, who sponsored legislation for these road signs, the 20-year-old Aurora soldier 'went missing during the ensuing chaos and was never recovered, with eyewitness accounts suggesting he was killed while attempting to evade enemy forces.' The fact there is not even a grave to visit had to make his death even tougher for Thompson's hard-working parents, Freeda and Homer, who worked at Burgess-Norton in Geneva, as well as their eight surviving children. Because Thompson died so young, many of those descendants, including Ogden's nieces and nephews who were born long after their uncle was killed, knew little about him. 'Our mother didn't say a whole lot … just that he was killed in the Korean War,' said Tammy Kitchen, who drove to Aurora from South Carolina with her cousin Sherry Waddell for the Saturday ceremony. 'It's the way it was back then. They didn't talk about the hard stuff. They just soldiered on.' Most everyone in the family, however, knew one compelling fact which has led to a 'mystery' they hope to one day solve. While he was serving overseas, Ogden Thompson fell in love with a Japanese woman he nicknamed Tiny and the couple, who married in a civil ceremony there, had a baby boy named Michael. From the accounts of Ogden's mother, and then a treasure trove of loving letters that were found after her death in 1999, the family knew that the written permission she and her husband had to give to their underage son so he could bring Tiny to this country and marry her here were returned unopened. Eleven days earlier, he was reported missing. 'That's the real mystery,' said Kathy Asbill, who made the trip from Virginia with her father Irvin Thompson, Ogden's last surviving brother. Despite plenty of attempts to locate the fallen soldier's family in Japan – letters to politicians and other officials, contact with embassies, documentation searches and Korean War internet postings – all efforts came up short. But Thompson's family is hoping this weekend's activities, which have brought close to a couple dozen together with North Aurora nephew Bill Perrin hosting, will provide the incentive to keep searching. 'The story is to be continued,' insisted Kitchen. Certainly sifting through a table filled with photos, letters and other memorabilia has helped ignite the desire to keep the fallen hero's memory and legacy alive. Particularly compelling is the loving correspondence between Ogden and his parents as they shared bits of news about life in Aurora and about his siblings, including oldest brother Arthur, who was serving in the Navy during the same war. Fortunately, the two brothers managed to meet in Japan on a mutual leave at one point. The fact those later letters never reached Ogden – one was written by his mother the day before they were notified he was missing – only adds to the emotional narrative that has come to mean so much for his family. 'I cannot even imagine how hard it must have been' to get those returned letters, especially the one giving consent to have their son's wife and child come to the United States,' noted Asbill. 'What a difference one letter could have made in everyone's life, especially Mike.' Now 88 years old, Irvin Thompson – a Navy veteran like three of his brothers – still recalls that day his parents received word his big brother was not coming home. Nearly 14 at the time, he climbed alone into the attic of the family's home on North Sumner Avenue. 'And I just cried,' he told me. 'It was the first time I'd cried in a long time. 'It was like an emptiness.' Irvin remembers his brother, who never graduated from high school but was determined to join the military, as 'very outgoing' and who 'could do a lot of things.' That included starting to build a cabin when he was only 12 years old with the goal of finishing the project when he returned from the war. Kathy Asbill said her dad talked about his missing brother at least several times a year – usually on patriotic holidays. And the family 'spent hours and hours writing letters trying to find out what they could' about him after he left Aurora. Her father 'instilled in us that American military pride,' she added, noting that last week the family attended an event in Greenville, South Carolina, where the remains of World War II Army airman Clarence Gibbs were brought home from Germany after being missing for 81 years. Ogden's loved ones do not give up hope. Nor do they take for granted the road sign memorial on Route 25 that will keep Ogden Neil Thompson's name in the public eye, thanks in large part to North Aurora Gold Star father Bob Patterson and the memorial foundation for his son U.S. Army Spc. Christopher Patterson, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2012. In May, U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Ted Katsoolias of St. Charles, who was reported MIA on Thanksgiving Eve in 1950 during the Korean War, was honored with a sign on a portion of Route 59. Upcoming dedications include another Korean War MIA, Army Pvt. First Class Wayne Wilder Hill Jr., and Army Staff Sgt. Robert Herreid, a star athlete from Mooseheart who is one of 63 Vietnam War MIA from Illinois. The Thompson family's gratitude was evident in the words they shared at Saturday morning's road dedication, which rain moved inside the Batavia VFW post. 'For almost 75 years, our family has carried the weight' of Ogden's 'absence, the unanswered questions, the grief and the hope that one day his remains will be returned to the United States,' Asbill told the crowd of around 60 or so who gathered for the event. 'Naming this road in his honor will serve as a lasting reminder of his heroism and courage, and of the sacrifice borne not only by him but also all who love and remember him,' she continued. 'We represent military families with enduring strength who wait, hope and remember. 'Thank you for standing with us today to ensure his name and story live on.'
New York Post
9 hours ago
- New York Post
Drunk teen killed groom-to-be in Harlem wrong-way horror after night out at NYC club, new suit alleges
The Long Island teen accused of driving the wrong-way on the Henry Hudson Parkway and killing a man 24 hours before the victim's wedding was allegedly drunk and being chased by an off-duty NYPD cop at the time of the crash. Jimmy Connors had allegedly spent the night drinking at Nebula on West 41st Street, where staff served him alcohol despite him being 'visibly intoxicated' in the hours before the horrific Aug. 24 collision, according to a lawsuit. After Connors, 17, left the club, he allegedly got behind the wheel of a white Chevy Silverado with Ontario plates and crashed into another car — prompting off-duty cop Boubacar Barry, who witnessed the wreck, to pursue him in his personal SUV instead of calling 911, according to the Manhattan Supreme Court filing. 4 Kirk Walker, a Manhattan dad of three, was just one day from marrying his fiancée when he was killed in the head-on crash. Advertisement Both vehicles then barreled south in the northbound lanes of the parkway, where the Silverado slammed head-on into a car driven by Kirk Walker and his cousin, Rob McLaurin, authorities said. Walker, 38, was one day from his wedding when he and McLaurin were killed. Walker and McLaurin had just left the groom-to-be's bachelor party and were driving north near West 154th Street in a Dodge Challenger when the 2:20 a.m. crash occurred, said Walker's fiancée, Shauntea Weaver, who filed the lawsuit this week against Connors, Barry, Nebula, the NYPD and the city. Advertisement Connors fled after the wreck, leaving behind his injured 21-year-old passenger. Police said the passenger tried to run but was caught 30 feet away. 4 The deadly 2:20 a.m. wreck happened as Walker and his cousin were returning from the groom-to-be's bachelor party. Post Mayor Eric Adams even put up $1,000 of his own money to help catch the suspect. Connors, of Syosset, was nabbed the next day at the Canadian border, limping, bloodied and without ID. Customs agents identified him using NYPD images that allegedly showed him bolting from the crash. Advertisement He was taken back to New York and indicted on charges including second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal crash. He pleaded not guilty. His attorney Jonathan Perez previously told The Post that Connors is 'sick, autistic, has epilepsy' and believes he was manipulated by someone else in the car. Connors has been held without bail since his arraignment, the Manhattan District Attorney's office said. 4 Jimmy Connors, 17, was allegedly drunk and fleeing an off-duty NYPD officer when he drove the wrong way on the Henry Hudson Parkway, killing two men. Post Advertisement Walker, a Manhattan father of three and rental-car-business owner, was set to marry Weaver in a lavish New Jersey ceremony. 'Kirk was taken from me just as we were starting our new life together,' Weaver said in a statement released through her attorneys to The Post. 'He was the love of my life … We've been left trying to pick up the pieces of our lives and come to terms with a future without him in it. Our lives will never be the same.' Weaver, now the administrator of Walker's estate, argued in court papers that Barry acted as a cop — not a civilian — making the city and NYPD responsible for the unauthorized chase, which she contends isn't covered by emergency-response laws. Nebula also violated the state's Dram Shop Act, which allows victims to sue bars that serve alcohol to underage or visibly intoxicated patrons who later cause harm, Weaver said in the legal filing. 4 Walker's fiancée, Shauntea Weaver, is suing the city, NYPD, Nebula nightclub and Connors, alleging negligence and wrongful death. Weaver is seeking unspecified damages for wrongful death, conscious pain and suffering, negligence, emotional and psychological loss, funeral expenses and punitive damages. The NYPD and Nebula did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for the Mayor's Office referred questions to the NYPD. Advertisement Connors and Barry could not be reached for comment.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
NYPD chief probed for allowing on-duty detective to care for cancer-stricken mom
NEW YORK — An unusual arrangement that allowed an NYPD detective to work for nearly a year on a special police detail assigned to her cancer-stricken mother has emerged as the trigger for an Internal Affairs investigation and may well have accelerated the retirement of Brooklyn North Chief Scott Henderson, the Daily News has learned. Henderson, a 30-year veteran who has led Brooklyn North since 2020, has come under scrutiny for allegedly allowing Detective Jaenice Smith, 51, to stay with her ailing mother, Barbara Ann Smith, the longtime president of Bushwick's 83rd Precinct Community Council, three law enforcement sources told The New York Daily News. Smith spent 11 months on the special detail before her mom died in December and three more months on bereavement leave. The investigation was triggered by an anonymous tip earlier this year that Jaenice Smith was not showing up to work. The NYPD then placed her on desk duty and demand the return of $150,000 in pay, the sources said. There has been no disciplinary action against Henderson. A 'walkout' – a ceremony used to honor retiring commanders – was initially scheduled for July 24 and then 'postponed,' the department confirmed — apparently by Henderson himself. The controversy has angered pastors and other supporters of Henderson, who oversees roughly 3,000 cops in the 10 precincts that make up Brooklyn North. They lay the blame for his retirement with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Chief of Department John Chell. Rev. Kevin McCall, a Henderson ally, told The News plans are now underway for a community celebration of the chief's career. 'The community will host a walkout for our Chief Henderson and the Police Commissioner and John Chell (are) not invited,' McCall said. 'We will show the NYPD how you honor someone that served the community for 30 years.' An NYPD source said an investigation into allegations involving Henderson and Detective Smith is ongoing. A lawyer for Detective Smith declined comment. But a source familiar with the sequence of events said Detective Smith, once she came under scrutiny, explained to investigators that the arrangement was with 'the full permission and authority of Henderson.' The controversy started a couple of months ago with the anonymous tip that Smith wasn't coming to work at police headquarters where she was assigned. Investigators, the source said, have obtained 'countless' text messages verifying Henderson gave permission to her to be assigned to her mom because of her mom's 'critical role in NYPD community relations,' sources said. An attorney for Henderson did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Detective Smith's mother, Barbara Ann Smith, was so prominent in Bushwick as a president of the precinct community council that since her death at age 77 in December the precinct's muster room has been renamed in her honor. On July 14, 2025, the City Council also voted to rename Decatur St. between Central and Wilson Avenue as Barbara Ann Smith Way, a council spokesman said. 'Barbara worked tirelessly to bridge gaps, bring people together and make sure every voice was heard,' said Assemblymember Maritza Davila, a Democrat. Council Member Jennifer Gutierrez called her a 'true powerhouse and cherished community leader.' Detective Smith, meanwhile, joined the NYPD in July 2005. Across her 20-year career, she has been assigned to borough commands, the Personnel Bureau, Internal Affairs and Community Affairs before she was moved to Brooklyn North for the special detail. She had made 16 arrests in her career, three of them for felonies. In February 2024, when it was clear that Smith was gravely ill, Detective Smith was reassigned from her normal duties in Community Affairs to her mother's home, according to the sequence of events described by the sources. Smith's account, the sources said, is that Henderson assigned her to her mom via a Brooklyn North security detail without Smith initially asking for it. Once she began the new assignment, the sources said, she checked in regularly with the command. 'No one was hiding anything,' one police source said. 'All the supervisors were aware.' Meanwhile, police brass including then Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey and First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella would visit from time to time, the sources said. After Barbara Smith died in December, her daughter was given another three months of bereavement leave. In the meantime, the Internal Affairs investigation started. Detective Smith was relieved of her guns and shield and placed on desk duty in Queens Courts on March 27. The NYPD filed disciplinary charges for stealing time and demanded she repay the $150,000 in salary she earned during the period she was assigned to her mom. Those charges are pending. After Smith disclosed that Henderson had approved the special assignment, investigators questioned him. He allegedly 'downplayed' his role in approving the assignment, the sources said. Smith's lawyers are pushing for her to be allowed to retire later this month. 'She's upset they are taking such a hard line on this,' a source familiar with the case said. 'She thought when the head of the borough approved it, she could rely on that.'
