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Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
Dozens of criminals become cops in major Democrat city 'after rogue officer lets them through the net'
Dozens of criminals wound up working as officers for the New York City Police Department after the commander overseeing recruitment ignored their checkered past, according to court filings. Up to 31 unsuitable officers were allowed to serve as cops due to 'unauthorized unilateral actions' by former commanding officer NYPD Inspector Terrell Anderson, the complaint states. Many of the hired criminals were initially barred from the department because background checks turned up their arrests, with one of aspiring officer found to have three arrests to their name. Offenses included everything from drug use to prostitution, and a number of driving violations, per the New York Post. However they were allowed to serve after being granted admission by Anderson, according to the filings, which allege he did not have the authority to keep them on the force. And in a stunning twist, many of the officers remain employed and cannot be sacked after the NYPD Police Benevolent Association filed a restraining order to temporarily halt the city's actions, keeping them on the payroll. 'His actions, therefore, were a nullity,' the city said in the filings. Anderson was reassigned following the scandal and is now facing departmental charges, law enforcement sources told the Post. The legal document also slammed the new officers fo, 'not questioning or otherwise determining how they could miraculously become appointed as police officers' when they were previously disqualified. The court filing singled out one rookie cop who was permitted into the NYPD academy, despite having never been employed in any capacity before. That cop, who was not named, was found to have an 'extensive history of poor decision-making and recklessness', but was allowed to serve anyway by Anderson, the filings said. That history with the law included multiple driving convictions for speeding at upwards of 50mph over the speed limit, and an arrest for driving with eight suspensions on his license. The officer was also found to have struck a pedestrian with his car on another occasion. A different officer also reported a number of serious driving offenses including involvement in eight car crashes and driving with a suspended license, alongside multiple arrests for marijuana. That officer slipped through the net because he 'exploited his father's status as an NYPD detective in order to circumvent personal responsibility', according to his reported disqualification notice. Another officer who was allowed into the NYPD had 'reported using LSD and marijuana to cope with stress', the filing said. One of the cops was also found to have allegedly paid a stripper for sexual intercourse in 2017, and then the next year paid a female masseuse to masturbate him, the filings said. One female officer failed a psychological examination after she 'openly discussed arguments and conflicts with other people in a boastful manner.' She reportedly told a psychiatrist that 'what you do to me I'm going to do to you twice and I hope you feel worse than the way you made me feel', but was still allowed in per the filing. Anderson was in charge of screening the candidates as the NYPD's chief of Candidate Assessment Division, but was promptly moved to the housing unit when the scandal was discovered in May. He alleged that NYPD top brass pushed him to keep non-qualified officers in the academy. Anderson's defenders have pointed out that NYPD recruitment numbers have struggled in recent years. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch previously decided to relax some qualifications in the academy earlier this year in an attempt to beef up numbers. NYPD Capt. Chris Monahan, president of the Captain's Endowment Association, told the New York Post that Anderson was. 'under tremendous pressure to fill NYPD recruit classes.' 'He had a careful review process and didn't place candidates with diagnosed mental health issues in many classes,' he said. 'Inspector Anderson had the authority under previous administrations to hire candidates.' Despite some of the cops' lengthy rap sheets, the city's move to fire them was halted after the NYPD Police Benevolent Association filed a restraining order to temporarily halt the city's actions. A judge then granted an extension for 60 days. Explaining the move to defend the officers, NYPD Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said: 'These are 31 police officers' lives — their livelihood.' (The judge) understands they have families, bills, rent,' he continued. 'They were just told, 'You're not entitled to any process. You're fired, 24 hours. That is wrong. The entire method — how it was done — is wrong. 'They were deemed qualified New York City police officers. They were called back. They completed what they were asked to complete... These police officers were deemed qualified by the NYPD.'
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Yahoo
Rookie cops NYPD is trying to fire can remain on job amid legal battle, judge rules
NEW YORK — Thirty-one rookie police officers who the NYPD is trying to fire because of alleged oversights by a rogue commander during the hiring process will remain on the job while their union fights for them in court, a Manhattan judge ruled Tuesday. At a hearing, state Supreme Court Justice Phaedra Perry-Bond denied a request from the city to lift a July 10 temporary restraining order obtained by the Police Benevolent Association union that stopped the NYPD from firing the cops. The department is trying to fire the officers after determining they weren't qualified to join the force in the first place based, they say, on checkered histories that include arrests, drug use, hiring sex workers, traffic violations, and 'serious disregard for rules and consequences,' according to lawyers for the city and the NYPD. All of the cops in question either failed a psychiatric evaluation or a character assessment while they were being vetted, according to the NYPD, and were told as such. However, the city claims that a lone commanding officer, Inspector Terrell Anderson, the head of the NYPD's Candidate Assessment Division, mistakenly approved them after calling them back for additional interviews, sending them off to be sworn in and trained at the Police Academy. 'These candidates were approved by an individual whose actions were unauthorized. Now, we have them working in the field when they have been disqualified,' city Law Department attorney Marina Sukonnik said in court. One officer the NYPD says was unqualified to serve — who, like all of the cops, has been on desk duty without a badge or a gun since July 10 — 'reported using LSD and marijuana to cope with stress,' while a third showed 'an extensive history of poor decision-making and recklessness,' the NYPD said in court papers. Another officer 'openly discussed arguments and conflicts with other people in a boastful manner' during an NYPD psychological interview and said that when she received a failing grade from a college professor, she told the teacher, 'No one likes you; I don't like you, your students don't like you.' Another officer was deemed unfit because 'he had a prior history of paying prostitutes for sexual favors,' the NYPD said in court papers. 'Because of the public trust placed in the NYPD and the sensitivity of many issues faced regularly by police officers, the police commissioner must have the ability to demand a high degree of character and fitness from police officers and certainly must demand that they be qualified under the appointment standards for the position,' the city said in court papers. In court Tuesday, Matthew Daly, a lawyer for the PBA, said most of the cops were of minority, non-affluent backgrounds and had been making arrests and working patrol without incident — in some cases, commended for their performance — when they turned up to work last week and told to resign or face being fired before a court order put the firings on hold. Some have been on the job for more than 18 months. Calling the NYPD's hasty firing attempt 'sloppy and heavy-handed,' Daly suggested the commanding officer had been scapegoated despite an ongoing internal investigation into the mix-up. He said many of the cops had left other jobs after the NYPD hired them and risk homelessness, student loan delinquency, and losing their family's medical insurance were they to get the boot. The union lawyer stated that the PBA's position was that the NYPD had no right to revive the disqualifications; however, if it did so, Daly said the officers should be given 30 days to appeal. 'The city is trying to humiliate and condemn them,' Daly said. 'All we're asking for is that the status quo be maintained.' Sukonnik countered by saying the officers had no right to keep their jobs or to appeal now the findings that they were unfit. In pointed questions to the city's attorney, Perry-Bond sounded skeptical about the department's position that the rookie cops had blown the deadline to appeal the finding within the 30-day timeframe while simultaneously acknowledging they'd been rehired during that period and pressed Sukonnik about whether the NYPD was acting fairly. 'It isn't just, 'Oh, you shouldn't have been hired. Goodbye,'' the judge quipped, a few beats later denying the city's efforts to lift the restraining order and ordering the parties back in court in 60 days. 'There are people whose lives are on hold here.' Union officials who attended Tuesday's hearing said the cops highlighted by the NYPD made up a small portion of the 31 whose jobs are on the line and that many of the group had worked for various city and law enforcement agencies in the past. One had worked as a correction officer for 10 years, and another had worked as an investigator for the Brooklyn D.A.'s office before being hired by the NYPD. PBA President Patrick Hendry said singling out certain officers in court documents amounted to a 'shameful smear campaign' against the entire group. 'We're grateful to the judge for taking this case seriously, understanding that these are 31 police officers' lives. their livelihood. That she understands that they have families, understands that they have bills, understands that they have rent, understands that they were just told, 'Hey, you're not entitled to any process here. You're fired,' That is wrong,' Hendry said. 'They were deemed to be qualified to be New York City police officers. They were called back, they completed what they were asked to complete, those investigations, and they got hired by the police department. … They've been doing a great job, and they deserve to continue the job that they love.' Capt. Chris Monahan, president of the Captains' Endowment Association, the union that represents NYPD captains and inspectors, staunchly defended Anderson on Thursday. 'Inspector Anderson had the authority under previous administrations to hire candidates,' Monahan said. 'He was under tremendous pressure to fill NYPD recruit classes. He had a careful review process and didn't place candidates with diagnosed mental health issues in any classes.' Earlier this year, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the department is in a 'hiring crisis' and significantly reduced the number of college credits required to join the force to broaden the candidate pool.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Yahoo
Rookie cops NYPD is trying to fire can remain on job amid legal battle, judge rules
NEW YORK — Thirty-one rookie police officers who the NYPD is trying to fire because of alleged oversights by a rogue commander during the hiring process will remain on the job while their union fights for them in court, a Manhattan judge ruled Tuesday. At a hearing, state Supreme Court Justice Phaedra Perry-Bond denied a request from the city to lift a July 10 temporary restraining order obtained by the Police Benevolent Association union that stopped the NYPD from firing the cops. The department is trying to fire the officers after determining they weren't qualified to join the force in the first place based, they say, on checkered histories that include arrests, drug use, hiring sex workers, traffic violations, and 'serious disregard for rules and consequences,' according to lawyers for the city and the NYPD. All of the cops in question either failed a psychiatric evaluation or a character assessment while they were being vetted, according to the NYPD, and were told as such. However, the city claims that a lone commanding officer, Inspector Terrell Anderson, the head of the NYPD's Candidate Assessment Division, mistakenly approved them after calling them back for additional interviews, sending them off to be sworn in and trained at the Police Academy. 'These candidates were approved by an individual whose actions were unauthorized. Now, we have them working in the field when they have been disqualified,' city Law Department attorney Marina Sukonnik said in court. One officer the NYPD says was unqualified to serve — who, like all of the cops, has been on desk duty without a badge or a gun since July 10 — 'reported using LSD and marijuana to cope with stress,' while a third showed 'an extensive history of poor decision-making and recklessness,' the NYPD said in court papers. Another officer 'openly discussed arguments and conflicts with other people in a boastful manner' during an NYPD psychological interview and said that when she received a failing grade from a college professor, she told the teacher, 'No one likes you; I don't like you, your students don't like you.' Another officer was deemed unfit because 'he had a prior history of paying prostitutes for sexual favors,' the NYPD said in court papers. 'Because of the public trust placed in the NYPD and the sensitivity of many issues faced regularly by police officers, the police commissioner must have the ability to demand a high degree of character and fitness from police officers and certainly must demand that they be qualified under the appointment standards for the position,' the city said in court papers. In court Tuesday, Matthew Daly, a lawyer for the PBA, said most of the cops were of minority, non-affluent backgrounds and had been making arrests and working patrol without incident — in some cases, commended for their performance — when they turned up to work last week and told to resign or face being fired before a court order put the firings on hold. Some have been on the job for more than 18 months. Calling the NYPD's hasty firing attempt 'sloppy and heavy-handed,' Daly suggested the commanding officer had been scapegoated despite an ongoing internal investigation into the mix-up. He said many of the cops had left other jobs after the NYPD hired them and risk homelessness, student loan delinquency, and losing their family's medical insurance were they to get the boot. The union lawyer stated that the PBA's position was that the NYPD had no right to revive the disqualifications; however, if it did so, Daly said the officers should be given 30 days to appeal. 'The city is trying to humiliate and condemn them,' Daly said. 'All we're asking for is that the status quo be maintained.' Sukonnik countered by saying the officers had no right to keep their jobs or to appeal now the findings that they were unfit. In pointed questions to the city's attorney, Perry-Bond sounded skeptical about the department's position that the rookie cops had blown the deadline to appeal the finding within the 30-day timeframe while simultaneously acknowledging they'd been rehired during that period and pressed Sukonnik about whether the NYPD was acting fairly. 'It isn't just, 'Oh, you shouldn't have been hired. Goodbye,'' the judge quipped, a few beats later denying the city's efforts to lift the restraining order and ordering the parties back in court in 60 days. 'There are people whose lives are on hold here.' Union officials who attended Tuesday's hearing said the cops highlighted by the NYPD made up a small portion of the 31 whose jobs are on the line and that many of the group had worked for various city and law enforcement agencies in the past. One had worked as a correction officer for 10 years, and another had worked as an investigator for the Brooklyn D.A.'s office before being hired by the NYPD. PBA President Patrick Hendry said singling out certain officers in court documents amounted to a 'shameful smear campaign' against the entire group. 'We're grateful to the judge for taking this case seriously, understanding that these are 31 police officers' lives. their livelihood. That she understands that they have families, understands that they have bills, understands that they have rent, understands that they were just told, 'Hey, you're not entitled to any process here. You're fired,' That is wrong,' Hendry said. 'They were deemed to be qualified to be New York City police officers. They were called back, they completed what they were asked to complete, those investigations, and they got hired by the police department. … They've been doing a great job, and they deserve to continue the job that they love.' Capt. Chris Monahan, president of the Captains' Endowment Association, the union that represents NYPD captains and inspectors, staunchly defended Anderson on Thursday. 'Inspector Anderson had the authority under previous administrations to hire candidates,' Monahan said. 'He was under tremendous pressure to fill NYPD recruit classes. He had a careful review process and didn't place candidates with diagnosed mental health issues in any classes.' Earlier this year, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the department is in a 'hiring crisis' and significantly reduced the number of college credits required to join the force to broaden the candidate pool.
CBS News
15-07-2025
- CBS News
NYPD cannot fire officers who allegedly failed background checks for at least 2 months, judge rules
More than two dozen New York City Police officers who allegedly failed background checks will stay on the job for now. A judge ruled Tuesday the NYPD cannot fire the officers for at least another two months, which means the 30 cops the NYPD says shouldn't have been hired will be staying on administrative duty. Last week, the NYPD gave the rookies just 24 hours to resign or be fired, claiming they had been disqualified, then hired illegally by a rogue inspector. Inside a proceeding closed to cameras, attorneys for the NYPD claimed the inspector charged with hiring quietly broke protocol. Attorneys for the officers' union say the inspector's actions were well-known, and sanctioned amidst the NYPD's hiring crisis. The department allegedly called the candidates who had been previously disqualified and urged them to come on board. The union says they each went through the process again, retaking the psych test or medical evaluation. "They were called back. They completed what they were asked to complete," Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said. The same day the NYPD announced the illegal hirings, the PBA filed for and was granted a temporary restraining order to block the officers' termination. Outside Manhattan Civil Court on Tuesday, Hendry celebrated after the judge extending his request to delay the firings. "We're grateful to the judge for taking this case serious," he said. One candidate who was hired allegedly didn't disclose "he had a prior history of paying prostitutes for sexual favors." Another allegedly "reported using LSD and marijuana to cope with stress." "Where they come from, you may need to have some type of stress or depression to use marijuana, but where I come from, that's not necessarily the case," Guardian's Association President Lt. Patrick Gordon said. Many of the officers worked in public service, from the education department to corrections. One even spent 10 years serving in the Air Force. Hendry said the majority of those 30 officers have not been accused of any wrongdoing or had any complaints since they were hired. "I'm only aware maybe one or two on a [Civilian Complaint Review Board] level, one or two police officers, but the rest, no, they're all in good standing," he said. The city says the department is only trying to right a wrong, arguing these people never should have been hired in the first place. The inspector accused of breaking protocol has been reassigned to the housing unit.
New York Post
15-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Mayor Adams to land massive endorsements in early days of independent re-election run
A sprawling coalition of law enforcement unions will endorse Eric Adams' campaign this week — in what is a major win in the early days of his independent re-election bid, The Post has learned. The newly formed slate dubbed NYC Uniformed Forces Coalition 2025 includes nearly all the city police, corrections and sanitation unions — and will formally back Hizzoner's re-election run on Thursday on the steps of City Hall, according to sources. Notably missing from the announcement will be reps from the Police Benevolent Association, the largest cop union in the country, which backed Adams in 2021. 3 Eric Adams will be endorsed Thursday by a slate of law enforcement unions. NYC Mayor's Office/YouTube 3 The unions decided not to back the Democratic nominee and socialist lawmaker Zohran Mamdani. Paul Martinka The PBA attended the first coalition meeting, but leaders later decided to break from the group and make their own endorsement. The unions opted to stay silent during the stunning primary election that saw ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who nabbed nearly all the backing of labor unions and big business, fall to frontrunner Zohran Mamdani who won last month's Democratic Party primary. In the weeks since, Adams and Cuomo — both of whom are running on independent lines — have been jockeying for the support of business leaders and other influential New Yorkers as they loudly call for one another to bow out so they alone can take on Mamdani. 3 Cops sources have told The Post they are concerned of how the far-left Mamdani would run NYC. Paul Martinka Police sources have told The Post there was little appetite among the ranks to back Cuomo, who they see as the architect of the state's controversial criminal justice reforms in 2019, and fear a far-left socialist in City Hall after his calls to defund the police. The police support could provide a boost to Adams' bid to hold onto City Hall after a series of poor polls that have the sitting mayor more than 20 points off the front runner in a distant third or fourth place. The endorsement comes as pundits have skewered Mamdani for trying to water down his leftie policies by publicly saying he would consider keeping on current Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
