NYPD cop: "I was punished for not stopping enough black, Hispanic teens in subways"

An NYPD cop claims in a federal lawsuit that he was punished by supervisors for not stopping enough black and Hispanic teens in the subways.

Michael Birch, 44, was a transit cop in District 34 in Brooklyn when he secretly recorded a sit-down with his commanding officer and a lieutenant after he had received a poor evaluation in 2011.

Birch was reminded by Capt. Constantin Tsachas that most of the crimes in the subway system were being committed by black and Hispanic teens, while most of the cop’s stops were of women and whites.

The suit alleges Birch was deprived of overtime, given undesirable assignments and had his work monitored as a result of not meeting the performance measures which the suit contends is a code word for illegal quotas.

“The powers that be are more concerned about their personal legacies than the civil rights of the citizens,” Birch’s lawyer Eric Sanders told The News.

The Birch tapes occurred during the administration of former NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly, when several other cops also stepped forward to complain about quotas for arrests, summonses and stop-and-frisks. A Manhattan federal judge found Kelly’s stop-and-frisk strategy was being illegally carried out, which led to the appointment of a court-appointed monitor

www.nydailynews.com...

Hopefully more cops come forward and expose this bias & racist policing practice, it's completely unfair, disgusting and is destroying lives, communities and most certainly families. First step to solving this problem is to admit it actually exists, good on this cop for this

If his alegations are correct then it's very brave for him to come forward and put his career and life on the line. Too many people are happy to live in ignorance and turn a blind eye.

I will keep following this and his story. Hopefully it works out well for him.

a reply to: theySeeme

Can't wait for someone to come into the thread and tell us that the system isn't racist.

a reply to: theySeeme

Good for him.

It takes some brass balls to drag things born in darkness, into the cleansing light, especially when ones livelihood, or even life might be imperilled by the doing of it.

I think it would be a good idea, to make it a criminal offence for a police officer to fail to report such things, so that once someone comes forward, everyone has to, or face prosecution. It might be unworkable, but I would love to see some progress on making it impossible to indoctrinate and back channel officers into a situation like this officer found himself in.

He should never have had to make the choice he did, although I am glad he chose the right moral path.

originally posted by: theySeeme


Birch was reminded by Capt. Constantin Tsachas that most of the crimes in the subway system were being committed by black and Hispanic teens, while most of the cop’s stops were of women and whites.

So now you guys are going to applaud a cop who choose to stop white people instead? Do you not see a contradiction there?

a reply to: TheBulk

Actually, it must be shouted as loudly as possible that Birch stopped those he saw avoiding paying for travel, rather than policing by demography. His approach is not only legal, but just, which is somewhat more important. Approaching every policing problem by demography is neither legal, nor just.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: TheBulk

Actually, it must be shouted as loudly as possible that Birch stopped those he saw avoiding paying for travel, rather than policing by demography. His approach is not only legal, but just, which is somewhat more important. Approaching every policing problem by demography is neither legal, nor just.

So he was not stopping the people who commit the crimes, but instead was choosing to stop white people who deserve it because they're white and icky. Safety be damned, we're getting even!

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: theySeeme

Can't wait for someone to come into the thread and tell us that the system isn't racist.

Was there factual data behind the management's claim that more crimes are committed in the subway by black and Latino teenagers?

originally posted by: jjkenobi

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: theySeeme

Can't wait for someone to come into the thread and tell us that the system isn't racist.

Was there factual data behind the management's claim that more crimes are committed in the subway by black and Latino teenagers?

Even if that is true, you cannot stop someone or single them out just based on their skin color. They must be committing a crime or be suspected of committing a crime.

a reply to: jjkenobi

Lol, I'm not saying that racism doesn't exist, because it does and perhaps here is an example.
However, the people who do not understand profiling ought not ever engage in risk assessment(so no sky diving or hunting or even going outside, and do not for the love of god travel to Iraq) or work for an insurance company.

originally posted by: introvert

Even if that is true, you cannot stop someone or single them out just based on their skin color. They must be committing a crime or be suspected of committing a crime.

It sounds like this cop was specifically stop white people. Is it ok to stop white people for their skin color in order to prove how not racist and diverse you are?

originally posted by: TheBulk

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: TheBulk

Actually, it must be shouted as loudly as possible that Birch stopped those he saw avoiding paying for travel, rather than policing by demography. His approach is not only legal, but just, which is somewhat more important. Approaching every policing problem by demography is neither legal, nor just.

So he was not stopping the people who commit the crimes, but instead was choosing to stop white people who deserve it because they're white and icky. Safety be damned, we're getting even!

Did you read the story? He was stopping "White" people who deserved it because they refused to pay for the train fair, not because they were white. What this whistle blower cop is implying is basically that his leadership and top command told him to ignore "white crime".

Why are so you so bothered by the truth, I don't know..

originally posted by: jjkenobi

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: theySeeme

Can't wait for someone to come into the thread and tell us that the system isn't racist.

Was there factual data behind the management's claim that more crimes are committed in the subway by black and Latino teenagers?

No, but there is factual data that shows that whites were more likely to commit the subway crime because they are less likely to be punished for it, where as minorities are less likely to commit because they are more likely to get arrested.

Despite this factual data, minorities continue to be disproportionately arrested. And I live in NYC, so I can speak from experience.

a reply to: TheBulk

That is the precise and exact opposite of what happened. He caught fare jumpers by witnessing their criminal acts, and detaining them. That their ethnicity argued with his commanders preferences, or your apparent bias, is largely irrelevant.

originally posted by: TheBulk

originally posted by: introvert

Even if that is true, you cannot stop someone or single them out just based on their skin color. They must be committing a crime or be suspected of committing a crime.

It sounds like this cop was specifically stop white people. Is it ok to stop white people for their skin color in order to prove how not racist and diverse you are?

Read the piece. He was stopping people for legitimate reasons, not because of the color of their skin.

Perhaps the reason the statistics show blacks and Hispanics commit more crime in the subway is because the police are targeting them based on their skin color, and not because they actually commit crime more than any other race.

originally posted by: introvert

originally posted by: TheBulk

originally posted by: introvert

Even if that is true, you cannot stop someone or single them out just based on their skin color. They must be committing a crime or be suspected of committing a crime.

It sounds like this cop was specifically stop white people. Is it ok to stop white people for their skin color in order to prove how not racist and diverse you are?

Read the piece. He was stopping people for legitimate reasons, not because of the color of their skin.

Perhaps the reason the statistics show blacks and Hispanics commit more crime in the subway is because the police are targeting them based on their skin color, and not because they actually commit crime more than any other race.

I doubt his supervisor would have that conversation with him if he was stopping people for a legitimate reason. Most likely his boss was receiving complaints about all thr white women he was stoping. Trust me they would call.

a reply to: dragonridr

I doubt

So then you don't know. Hard to make a strong case with doubt.

Most likely

Well, did they receive complaints?

Trust me

No. So far you have not given me a logical reason to do so. "Most likely"'s and "I doubts" do not make for a good argument.

originally posted by: introvert
a reply to: dragonridr

I doubt

So then you don't know. Hard to make a strong case with doubt.

Most likely

Well, did they receive complaints?

Trust me

No. So far you have not given me a logical reason to do so. "Most likely"'s and "I doubts" do not make for a good argument.

The whole article is most likely and doubt so what's your point

But logic tells us unless people complained there is no way his supervisor knows who he stopped.

originally posted by: dragonridr

But logic tells us unless people complained there is no way his supervisor knows who he stopped.

Well besides all the paperwork police officers are required to fill out when they write tickets as well as the database that tracks their citations and arrests.

originally posted by: introvert

originally posted by: TheBulk

originally posted by: introvert

Even if that is true, you cannot stop someone or single them out just based on their skin color. They must be committing a crime or be suspected of committing a crime.

It sounds like this cop was specifically stop white people. Is it ok to stop white people for their skin color in order to prove how not racist and diverse you are?

Read the piece. He was stopping people for legitimate reasons, not because of the color of their skin.

Perhaps the reason the statistics show blacks and Hispanics commit more crime in the subway is because the police are targeting them based on their skin color, and not because they actually commit crime more than any other race.

A breathe of fresh air, been seen logical members like you more and more these past few days, such a relief. I thought I was going crazy.