Originally published at: Cop who refused to honor corrupt "get out of jail" card wins $175k
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I remember like 30 years ago when this guy I worked with at Walmart finally got hired on as local PD. I remember asking a bunch of questions, and asked if he can get out of speeding tickets, he said something like, “You can’t flash your badge to get out of a traffic stop, but if your police ID happens to be by your drivers license…” Something like that, it was over 30 years ago.
So it sounds like you can’t use the fact you’re a cop explicitly to get out of a ticket. But if you got one of these cards, while not official, seems to convey the information. 
I remember that audio of a bunch of cops SCREAMING down a highway to get to some drug lecture on time, and this other cop keeps running plates and they keep coming back to cops, and hes like, “Well someone tell these guys to slow down, Jesus.”
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I’m disappointed that he settled. It does nothing to address the corruption problem.
I don’t blame the guy for taking the money ($175k is probably a lot of money to him), but I bet we could have put together a GoFundMe to raise $175k from donors to encourage him NOT to settle so that the lawsuit would actually proceed and maybe the NYPD would have to actually change their policies around these stupid cards.
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oblig-bladerunner
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The story from ProPublica yesterday on NYPD supporting cops that break the law is worth the read
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My advice to Officer Bianchi would be to find another career. it sounds like he’s actually trying to be a good cop and he’s running into the same problem every good cop does: Bad cops higher up the chain of command.
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What’s to prevent someone from posting on the Internet a high-resolution scan of one of these cards that anyone could download and print on card stock?
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wait… aren’t all badges and governmental ‘official’ IDs already links to images of NFTs somewhere? (“now with a bit of trump’s sweat stained ugly suit attached!”)
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Ironically it would be a civil matter that one of these cards couldn’t get you out of
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Mustn’t defund the (incredibly corrupt) police, though. (Oh, the pearl-clutching!) No, no, far better to just throw more money at them, for no better results. (/s)
Though the evidence suggests that they can, within (ill-defined) limits. Look at the number of news reports of cops doing some pretty egregious shit (e.g. accidents involving drunk driving) and other cops backing them up, cops having whole lists of infractions they got away with and only coming to light when they finally crossed some line… I was just watching a video where a cop was shocked he was getting a speeding ticket, and the cop giving him the ticket was apologetic, telling him that normally, as fellow police, he would give him a pass, only he was clocked going 134 miles per hour…
I doubt this is the first lawsuit, and I doubt it’ll be the last, because the lawsuits don’t change anything, clearly. The NYPD is incredibly corrupt and that corruption has existed for a long time, with few changes, because the entity is so big, has so much money and political power, and is so entrenched. Reform is almost impossible.
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It’s terrible that this problem exists to begin with, but I get a lot of joy imagining the realization dawning on the Chief’s friend’s face when Officer Bianchi informed them that no, they are NOT above the law.
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I don’t think it would be helpful to give him the same advice that he’s undoubtedly received already from a bunch of bad cops. If he wants to try to be a good cop despite the forces acting against him, that’s a good thing.
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Cops don’t just use these cards among themselves; they give them out to friends and people who donate to the PBA funds, and that sort of thing. So if they get pulled over, other cops know to give them a little slack.
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He could be the best cop in the world, but the problem is he’ll get passed over for every promotion. Won’t move up the ladder, won’t make detective, etc… at some point the stagnating rank and associated salary will become unbearable.
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The city should (but likely never will) create a ‘Frank Serpico Award’ and hand one over to officers such as Bianchi.
(Looks like it takes decades for NYC politicians to safely recognize brave, corruption-fighting cops.)
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In other corrupt NYPD news…
(NBC News)
NYC police commissioner resigns amid nightclub probe
New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban resigned Thursday amid a federal investigation into the department’s nightclub enforcement, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Caban, the city’s first Latino police commissioner, took over the department in July 2023 after being tapped by Mayor Eric Adams, whose administration is the target of multiple federal investigations.
“The news around recent developments has created a distraction for our department, and I am unwilling to let my attention be on anything other than our important work, or the safety of the men and women of the NYPD,” Caban said in an email to members of the NYPD, which was obtained by NBC News.
“I hold immense respect and gratitude for the brave officers who serve this department, and the NYPD deserves someone who can solely focus on protecting and serving New York City, which is why — for the good of this city and this department — I have made the difficult decision to resign as police commissioner,” the email added.
Adams, speaking in an address later Thursday, announced that he was appointing Thomas Donlon as the interim police commissioner. Donlon is a national security expert who previously ran the FBI’s National Threat Center and the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorist Task Force.
Caban’s phone was seized last week around the same time that FBI agents raided the homes of top Adams administration officials as part of a separate probe. Those whose homes were searched included First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III.
Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, who owns a nightclub security business, also had his phone seized in the corruption investigation involving the NYPD.
Federal investigators want to know if James Caban profited from his ties to his powerful brother and the NYPD, according to multiple sources. Specifically, the investigation is looking into whether James Caban was paid by bars and clubs in Midtown Manhattan and Queens to act as a police liaison, and if those clubs were then afforded special treatment by local precincts, the sources said.
Lawyers for Edward Caban described him in a statement as an “accomplished public servant who has dedicated his life to the safety and security of the people of this great city.”
“We have been informed by the government that he is not a target of any investigation being conducted by the Southern District of New York, and he expects to cooperate fully with the government,” said the lawyers, Russell Capone and Rebekah Donaleski.
Spokespersons for the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the past year, FBI agents have searched the homes of multiple city officials and advisers close to Adams as part of a separate investigation that is believed to be focused on whether the Adams campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources, funneled through straw donors.
A City Hall source said last week that the latest search did not seem to be related to the Turkey investigation.
Adams has repeatedly deflected questions about the investigation while stressing that he has not officially been accused of wrongdoing.
“I was as surprised as you to learn of these inquiries and I take them extremely seriously,” the mayor said Thursday.
He said he accepted Caban’s resignation a short time ago and concluded that “this is the best decision at this time.”
“I respect his decision, and I wish him well,” Adams added.
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And this is why ACAB. The vanishingly few cops who take the job seriously are hounded until they leave the force, or sometimes are just murdered by their fellows.
And that’s assuming he doesn’t just get murdered by another cop.
