Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch is instructing NYPD officers to use “extreme discretion in every encounter” with the public because they have zero support from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D).
He said de Blasio acts as if he’s leading a “f*cking revolution,” not a city.
On December 4 MSNBC reported that de Blasio reacted to the Garner grand jury decision by saying, “The way we do policing needs to change.” At that point Lynch responded by saying the Mayor was “throwing [police officers] under the bus.”
Capitol reports that Lynch decided to use the criticisms of police differently a few days later–he encouraged officers to do exactly what NYPD critics have demanded. He said: “If we won’t get supported when we do our jobs, if we’re going to get hurt for doing what’s right then we’re going to do it the way they want it. We will use extreme discretion in every encounter. Our friends, we’re courteous to them.”
Lynch further clarified his statement: “Our friends, we’re courteous to them. Our enemies, extreme discretion. The rules are made by them to hurt you. We’ll now use those rules to protect us.”
Salon magazine responded by saying Lynch’s comments could be taking positively–that he is simply encouraging police to do their jobs and know they will not be supported in the tough times for doing so–or…the comments can be taken negatively, in a more “histrionic” fashion. The latter views Lynch as “urging cops to follow a ludicrous interpretation of ‘the rules’ to the detriment of the communities they’re supposed to serve.”
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