New York City and State Police Slam ‘Animals and Thugs’ Label, Rebuff ‘That’s Not Who We Are’

June 10, 2020 (EIRNS)—Angry leaders of the New York Police Department, the state police, heads of the city’s police unions, police representatives from several surrounding counties and many more law enforcement officials gathered at a press conference yesterday to denounce the characterization of them as “animals and thugs” by local media, protesters and state legislators.

As reported by RT and the New York Post among others, Mike O’Meara, president of the state Police Benevolent Association, charged that “everybody’s trying to shame us.... Legislators, the press, everybody’s trying to shame us into being embarrassed of our profession.” The death of George Floyd, he said, was “murder” and “disgusting.” But, he insisted, “that’s not what we do. It’s not what police officers do.”

O’Meara charged that state lawmakers in Albany, who are debating police reform, “are failing us. ... We’ve been left out of the conversation.” Special vitriol was directed at New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio who’s proposing taking funds from the police budget and directing them to “social services.” Gov. Andrew Cuomo is also expected to sign “aggressive” new police reform laws this week, including one which repeals a state law known as 50a, which now keeps police personnel records sealed.

Patrick Lynch, another officer of the Police Benevolent Association, condemned the brutal murder of Floyd, which, he said, “was wrong, we denounce it and we have from the beginning.” Everyone has the right to peacefully protest, he said, but, “now we’re being guided by those that were intent on violence from outside our communities, that threw the stone, that broke the window, that caused the violence that injured 300 police officers, some viciously. That’s who we denounce.” He slammed legislators who “demonize police officers as if we’re the problem, as if we broke the window, as if we caused the violence,” and who won’t engage in dialogue about proposed legislation.