Police Abuse of Uber Driver in New York City

[ktchong]

 

"In an unmarked car, the policeman was allegedly attempting to park without using his blinker at a green light. (His reverse lights weren't on. Likely double parked without hazards on.) The Uber driver pulled around and gestured that he should use his blinker, casually and non-offensively, and kept driving us. The policeman quickly pulls up behind us and this is what happens..."

"This occurred just before 2pm on the West side of Manhattan, in police precinct 6, on March 30th, 2015. The officer did not identify himself, but he had a New York license plate: GSS 8891..."

 

P.S. The New York Daily News has identified the police officer as Patrick Cherry.

Edited April 1, 2015 by ktchong

[BruceVC]

 

"In an unmarked car, the policeman was allegedly attempting to park without using his blinker at a green light. (His reverse lights weren't on. Likely double parked without hazards on.) The Uber driver pulled around and gestured that he should use his blinker, casually and non-offensively, and kept driving us. The policeman quickly pulls up behind us and this is what happens..."

 

"This occurred just before 2pm on the West side of Manhattan, in police precinct 6, on March 30th, 2015. The officer did not identify himself, but he had a New York license plate: GSS 8891..."

 

P.S. The New York Daily News has identified the police officer as Patrick Cherry.

 

Geez thats a serious indictment of that Policeman...he seemed really annoyed and I would advise he needs some kind of anger management course

 

But I wouldn't want this to be seen as " this is how all Policemen conduct themselves " ....because I believe this is more of an isolated incident....well I hope it is  

[ktchong]

Patrick Cherry should be fired, which would never happen. The NYPD would never ever fire or actually discipline one of their own, even if a police has murdered, killed, assaulted, etc.

Edited April 1, 2015 by ktchong

[BruceVC]

I see this video has just made it onto CNN..I expect there now will be consequences around how this Policeman conducted himself ?

[Meshugger]

This would never have happened if we all were allowed to shoot police officers.

[ktchong]

Patrick Cherry (the police in the video) is a high-ranking officer.

 

Seth (who recorded and posted the video) reported the incident to the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB).  The board did not want to deal with it and transferred the complaint to the Internal Affair Bureau (IAB).  The IAB decided they did not want to deal with it, and transferred the case back to CCRB. 

 

I'm calling it right now: nothing will happen to the cop.  He'll get a few weeks paid suspension/vacation at most.  That's how it rolls nowadays with the cops.

Edited April 1, 2015 by ktchong

[Valsuelm]

I grew thinking as many people on this forum do. That the cops were the good guys. That they only arrested, shot, bothered, etc 'bad people'; 'criminals', with super few exceptions (I had seen Serpico and the like, and had heard some stories of bad cops but I didn't really believe them (as so many do not, and I'm sure that will read this and not)).

 

Then I took a field trip to NYC my senior year of high school and had my first bad experience with a cop that started me questioning the idea that the police were the good guys. If that had been my only bad experience with the police, I would have probably thought the cops were the good guys a lot longer than I did. But it wasn't.

 

I've since had similar experiences as the the Uber driver in NYC, in New Jersey (not sure the town), in my home town, in the next city over (where I even had a cop pull a gun on me), in the city I went to college in, and from the NY State Troopers on a highway. What this cop did, is normal. The likelihood of something happening to him as a result of this incident is near nil, and if anything does it will be a slap on the wrist for public relations sake. Corruption and abuse is the rule with NYC police, not the exception.

 

Are all cops like this? Definitely not. I've met some good ones (or at least they were good (as in treating me respectfully) while I was talking to them). But a real lot of them are not. (I've also personally witnessed a cop mistreating someone else that treated me well as the cop perceived the other person to have less money than myself (less likely to hire a good lawyer; cops abuse the poor more than anyone else because they generally get away with it).

 

Most cops are thugs, and that's the truth. For the most part the only ones doing any good are the detectives, not the revenue raising harassers that wear blue. And that's not to say some detectives aren't corrupt ****s either, I personally know some that are. But they generally aren't harassing as many people as often as the boys in blue.

It's honestly almost laughable to me that some people are surprised by this behavior, especially in light of all the police abuse videos that have been circulating the world these last few years. I guess cell phone cameras are good for one thing: highlighting the police abuse and misconduct that a lot of people have known about for years, yet a large portion of the populace is conditioned by decades of radio, TV, and movies to think the cops are the good guys.... so even when presented with evidence they either pretend they aren't seeing what they are, or pretend that it's the exception to the rule.

 

 

 

Oh, and for the record as I'm sure some here who live more insulated lives, will think I'm some kind of criminal because I've had so many run ins with the police.

 

1. I have no criminal record (though I was charged twice with misdemeanors, both times the case was dismissed as the cops really had no grounds to charge me).

2. I used to travel a lot for work. As in 10s of thousands of miles a year, so I've ended up with more traffic stops than most people in my life just by virtue of having driven a lot more than most. (I've never once been disrespectful to a cop when stopped by them, especially after they got hostile with me (didn't really want to get beat up as I've seen happen to others in front of my eyes, twice)).

3. I've just happened to be around a couple of interesting incidents due to wrong place at the wrong time, or right place at the right time (depending on how you look at it).

 

 

Edited April 1, 2015 by Valsuelm

[Valsuelm]

This would never have happened if we all were allowed to shoot police officers.

 

[BruceVC]

I grew thinking as many people on this forum do. That the cops were the good guys. That they only arrested, shot, bothered, etc 'bad people'; 'criminals', with super few exceptions (I had seen Serpico and the like, and had heard some stories of bad cops but I didn't really believe them (as so many do not, and I'm sure that will read this and not)).

 

Then I took a field trip to NYC my senior year of high school and had my first bad experience with a cop that started me questioning the idea that the police were the good guys. If that had been my only bad experience with the police, I would have probably thought the cops were the good guys a lot longer than I did. But it wasn't.

 

I've since had similar experiences as the the Uber driver in NYC, in New Jersey (not sure the town), in my home town, in the next city over (where I even had a cop pull a gun on me), in the city I went to college in, and from the NY State Troopers on a highway. What this cop did, is normal. The likelihood of something happening to him as a result of this incident is near nil, and if anything does it will be a slap on the wrist for public relations sake. Corruption and abuse is the rule with NYC police, not the exception.

 

Are all cops like this? Definitely not. I've met some good ones (or at least they were good (as in treating me respectfully) while I was talking to them). But a real lot of them are not. (I've also personally witnessed a cop mistreating someone else that treated me well as the cop perceived the other person to have less money than myself (less likely to hire a good lawyer; cops abuse the poor more than anyone else because they generally get away with it).

 

Most cops are thugs, and that's the truth. For the most part the only ones doing any good are the detectives, not the revenue raising harassers that wear blue. And that's not to say some detectives aren't corrupt ****s either, I personally know some that are. But they generally aren't harassing as many people as often as the boys in blue.

 

It's honestly almost laughable to me that some people are surprised by this behavior, especially in light of all the police abuse videos that have been circulating the world these last few years. I guess cell phone cameras are good for one thing: highlighting the police abuse and misconduct that a lot of people have known about for years, yet a large portion of the populace is conditioned by decades of radio, TV, and movies to think the cops are the good guys.... so even when presented with evidence they either pretend they aren't seeing what they are, or pretend that it's the exception to the rule.

 

 

 

Oh, and for the record as I'm sure some here who live more insulated lives, will think I'm some kind of criminal because I've had so many run ins with the police.

 

1. I have no criminal record (though I was charged twice misdemeanors, both times the case was dismissed as the cops really had no grounds to charge me).

2. I used to travel a lot for work. As in 10s of thousands of miles a year, so I've ended up with more traffic stops than most people in my life just by virtue of having driven a lot more than most. (I've never once been disrespectful to a cop when stopped by them, especially after they got hostile with me (didn't really want to get beat up as I've seen happen to others in front of my eyes, twice)).

3. I've just happened to be around a couple of interesting incidents due to wrong place at the wrong time, or right place at the right time (depending on how you look at it).

 

 

You right Vals ...I did use to think you were a social deviant and someone who has crossed the law on  several occasions....and I'm still not convinced this is not the case 

 

[BruceVC]

 

Geez thats a serious indictment of that Policeman...he seemed really annoyed and I would advise he needs some kind of anger management course

 

Sorry, but if a guy need some special training to act decent maybe, just maybe, he is to f*** up to be on the police force.

 

 

Sure, but can we really ignore considerations like he may just have been having a really bad day?

 

Is this enough to get him kicked-off the Police force? I don't know know anything about him or what he is really like so I hate to make assumptions ?

[Tort]

There are some jobs where there should be no second chances. A job in which you carry a gun every day is definitely one of those.

It depends on the offense, if you fire anyone who had a bad day or before they had a chance to learn from their mistakes, you'll end up with unprofessional police on constant rotation of brutes and rockies.

 

Also in many cases its a matter of budget, cops who aren't necessarily has the experience\tools placed in such positions due to manpower\training shortage or special events. And while everyone want close to perfect cops, the realty is that we also don't want to pay for that..

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I've seen cops do quite a bit of illegal(yet common) driving maneuvers. Not surprising one would threaten a guy with jail for honking at him, given how they usually operate, in fact I'm almost surprised there wasn't an arrest. But I suppose we just don't understand and the cop is the real victim here.

[Malcador]

[Tort]

That is a bit naive. Even if everyone were polite and decent (especially with low wages), there are things like inexperience, pressure work\home, dealing with jerks all day long etc...

 

And the reason why nitpicking is necessary on threads like this, because of wild generalizations were the actions of few become the image of many... (someone even posted populist logic fail about shooting cops) After no one advertise when they are at fault aka it was the other guy to blame in the accident; or everyone in jail are innocent..

[Hurlshort]

You clearly don't spend enough time at the DMV, Sharp1

[Valsuelm]

You clearly don't spend enough time at the DMV, Sharp1

 

You've had experiences with belligerent DMV peoples? Haha.

 

I've only had experiences with mentally slow, physically slow, uncaring, remorseless, and generally all around super incompetent yet docile DMV peoples. It's funny for me to imagine the overweight chair weights that serve as my local DMV peoples getting belligerent. I think if they did bad stuff might happen to them and the government goons (police) would need to be called because there's generally enough anger and frustration amongst the public who are at the DMV already that if they were presented with a belligerent DMV person that DMV person might get pummeled by some of the crowd.

 

That said, it's generally only government workers that ever get away with belligerence and abuse while on the job in our society (it's also generally only government workers that get away with sustained high levels incompetence and keep their job). For the most part in any other job dealing with the public a person would be fired for doing what that cop did. That government workers so often get away with such belligerence and abuse on the public is an indicator of tyranny.

 

Oh.. and the DMV should be abolished. So much modern government evil can be traced to it. The cons outweigh the pros like an oil freighter outweighs a kitten.

Edited April 1, 2015 by Valsuelm

[ktchong]

The NYPD detective caught on video screaming obscenities at an Uber driver won't lose his job... Cherry won't be fired because verbal abuse of a civilian is not considered a fireable offense, sources said.

 

This would not be the first complaint against Cherry for verbal abuse, sources said.

 

The detective, who has about 15 years on the force, has had about 10 complaints against him, some of which involve verbally abusing civilians, sources familiar with his record said.

 

The outcome of those complaints is unknown.

 

Source: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150401/west-village/nypd-detective-who-screamed-at-uber-driver-video-wont-be-fired-sources

 

If it has happened only once, yeah, then he should not be fired.  However, if it has happened at least ten times before, then it was not  an isolated incident.  It was the first time he was caught doing it on the video.   Now we are talking about a persistent abusive behavioral pattern.  He has done similar things at least ten times before.  He will most definitively do it again. 

 

He needs to be fired, but of course that is exactly what the NYPD would not do.  The NYPD never ever fire one of their own, not even a corrupted officer.  Especially not a corrupted officer  - because the NYPD has become an extremely corrupted organization.  I am just glad I do not live in that ****hole of a city policed by a mafia.

Edited April 1, 2015 by ktchong

[Tort]

@Sharp_one, During University, I worked at customer service dealing with money, in call reviews there was a distinguishable difference in how I would deal with people at the beginning and end of the shift and not for the best, that what happens when you have to deal mostly with people who decided before hand that you are the enemy.

 

Also I remember when my mother had "efficiency improvements", they added a new computer system and reduced time between patients scheduling, obviously in couple of courses on the new system didn't helped to smooth things and things got slower, everyone outside got angry(later wasting time attacking the doctor), data entry became very important (without it you cab become liable) so my mother usually had to stay an extra hour (on her dime) to enter the info (hopping she didn't miss anything between all the interruptions phone calls\people burging in etc) then she had to come back late, to chores and unhappy\ungrateful kids... - such things effect your performance.

 

 

Anyway, Sharp_one, I am very happy that so far experience in life (as service provider or customer) has been wildly positive, but in my experience we are all human, we are fallible and **** happens even to the best of us (And my life has been cream compared to most). Also I'd like to emphasis that overall I am against the same things as you do, I just don't think such vids are representative.

Edited April 1, 2015 by Tort

[Orogun01]

@Sharp_one, During University, I worked at customer service dealing with money, in call reviews there was a distinguishable difference in how I would deal with people at the beginning and end of the shift and not for the best, that what happens when you have to deal mostly with people who decided before hand that you are the enemy.

 

Also I remember when my mother had "efficiency improvements", they added a new computer system and reduced time between patients scheduling, obviously in couple of courses on the new system didn't helped to smooth things and things got slower, everyone outside got angry(later wasting time attacking the doctor), data entry became very important (without it you cab become liable) so my mother usually had to stay an extra hour (on her dime) to enter the info (hopping she didn't miss anything between all the interruptions phone calls\people burging in etc) then she had to come back late, to chores and unhappy\ungrateful kids... - such things effect your performance.

 

 

Anyway, Sharp_one, I am very happy that so far experience in life (as service provider or customer) has been wildly positive, but in my experience we are all human, we are fallible and **** happens even to the best of us (And my life has been cream compared to most). Also I'd like to emphasis that overall I am against the same things as you do, I just don't think such vids are representative.

And I remember that I couldn't tell a customer to **** off or else they will call for my supervisor/manager whom would surely fire me. I think that customer service would be more hostile towards the customer were there no consequences.

[Hurlshort]

Comcast requires you to be belligerent to customers, if I remember correctly.  Actually I think they just shift all the people that get complaints to the exit center, where they handle cancellations.  Those people are usually jerks.  

 

 

The reason I'm all about those cameras that officers wear on their chests is because it should reduce both these types of scenarios as well as the bogus complaints.  Which, considering how often police are dealing with junkies and wackos, is probably a considerable number.

[Valsuelm]

Yea... companies that are essentially government sponsored monopolies in most markets, like Comcast, Time Warner, or my gas/power company tend to have the same set types of incompetent asswipe characters servicing the public as the government does. My power company's customer service is generally atrocious, though Time Warner's isn't that bad in my experience once you get past their tier one incompetents (there are tricks to do this fairly quick) who actually have always at least been friendly even if they have little to no idea what they are talking about in my experience. That there even are government sponsored monopolies is also another indicator of tyranny.

Edited April 1, 2015 by Valsuelm

[Malcador]

Comcast requires you to be belligerent to customers, if I remember correctly. Actually I think they just shift all the people that get complaints to the exit center, where they handle cancellations. Those people are usually jerks.

 

 

The reason I'm all about those cameras that officers wear on their chests is because it should reduce both these types of scenarios as well as the bogus complaints. Which, considering how often police are dealing with junkies and wackos, is probably a considerable number.

Assuming they don't suddenly have faults in the equipment when it might work against the cops, at least.

[Tort]

And I remember that I couldn't tell a customer to **** off or else they will call for my supervisor/manager whom would surely fire me. I think that customer service would be more hostile towards the customer were there no consequences.

I hope you aren't asserting that anyone here advocate otherwise... as oppose to getting annoyed at usual crowd that get excited by such vids, building a mountain from a mice..

 

 

Also I remember a great office, fun team, great benefits (we even company vacations out of the country), breaks air conditioning, car pool at night, advancement opportunities etc... It certainly beats working alone,outside in the heat, with potential danger, with many loud mouth jerks whose first instinct is to claim ignorance or plain out lie to avoid a fine (using the same excuses), maybe get featured on camera (hopefully you are not camera shy), likely get dragged to court few times, and get less than half the pay...

 

Don't you think that sometimes it is easier to be polite and decent? ( Btw, I brought that example only because I thought that sharp one will be more familiar with white color jobs, I can give less savory one I had to go through to finance uni.)

[Malcador]

Cop pay is not that bad, median of 55k or so. Here there are some that pull in 100k, heh. This hardman was a detective, so he's earning a good penny, not enough to not power trip.

[Orogun01]

 

And I remember that I couldn't tell a customer to **** off or else they will call for my supervisor/manager whom would surely fire me. I think that customer service would be more hostile towards the customer were there no consequences.

I hope you aren't asserting that anyone here advocate otherwise... as oppose to getting annoyed at usual crowd that get excited by such vids, building a mountain from a mice..

 

 

Also I remember a great office, fun team, great benefits (we even company vacations out of the country), breaks air conditioning, car pool at night, advancement opportunities etc... It certainly beats working alone,outside in the heat, with potential danger, with many loud mouth jerks whose first instinct is to claim ignorance or plain out lie to avoid a fine (using the same excuses), maybe get featured on camera (hopefully you are not camera shy), likely get dragged to court few times, and get less than half the pay...

 

Don't you think that sometimes it is easier to be polite and decent? ( Btw, I brought that example only because I thought that sharp one will be more familiar with white color jobs, I can give less savory one I had to go through to finance uni.)

 

So you had it easy as a customer service, that certainly isn't true for everyone and certainly not true of people who have to face angry customer face to face. 

But if your point is to make excuses as to why cops can be allowed to be rude since their job is hard then I would point out that there is no reason to for them to make their job harder by taking an antagonistic stance. When a customer comes to you with a problem the proper course of action is to work together so that you can solve their problem to the best of their satisfaction. While there are certainly customers that are a handful you shouldn't take it out on the next one. 

Cops really have no excuse for ****ing up their job royally other than incompetence and if their Department allows it then it is a big problem. I certainly get pissed that my tax dollars are going to fund thugs that will harass me, it's like school all over again except the bully taking my lunch money now has a gun and a badge.