NYPD ‘Looking Into’ Officer Assault of Cyclist
The city did not say whether the 88th Precinct officer would be disciplined for his actions.
City Hall and the NYPD moved quickly to quell a brewing tempest over a police officer who not only blocked a bike lane, leading to a cyclist’s injury, but also shoved a second cyclist for no apparent reason. But neither specifically addressed the allegation of unprofessional conduct.
“The Commanding Officer of the 88 Precinct has been made aware of the allegation and is looking into it,” said NYPD Detective Sophie Mason.
The response may not go far enough for some, but the shoved cyclist preferred to look on the bright side.
“There’s obviously something wrong, but if the behavior can be corrected I think we all win,” said Ian Dutton, who was shoved by 88th Precinct Officer Bravo Wednesday afternoon, just 30 minutes after a cyclist was struck by a driver because she had to veer into traffic to get around Bravo and a fellow officer’s van, which the cops decided to park in the Jay Street protected bike lane.
“This is symptomatic of what we see all the time,” Dutton said. “If he wants to say he made a mistake and he understands that, that’s fine, but it does seem like it’s a pattern of behavior. There’s all kinds of examples of people having negative interactions with police over cycling.”
2/ A 50-year old resident should be able to get a haircut without being shoved by one of your officers, right? The only thing I did wrong is saying “excuse me.” I’d appreciate a follow-up. Not expecting one. Cc @bradlander @NYCSpeakerCoJo
— Ian Dutton (@darkpilot) December 5, 2018
City Hall did not address the shove either, saying that the 88th Precinct has been informed that officers should not park their vehicles in the path of the bike lane — after Dutton tweeted photos on Thursday of officers parked in the exact same location as they were before Wednesday’s incidents.
“We reached out to NYPD shortly after seeing this morning’s tweet, and the precinct moved the vehicle,” said City Hall spokesperson Seth Stein. “Keeping these lanes safe and clear is a priority.”
Sure, but what about the push?
Streetsblog has reached out to the Civilian Complaint Review Board for prior examples of alleged abuse by Officer Bravo, whose first name has not been provided. We will update this story when we find out.
