Occupy Wall Street: NYPD Officer Bologna's Arrest Sought In Pepper-Spray Incident

By Sean Gardiner, Wall Street Journal

A lawyer for an anti-Wall Street protester hit by pepper spray while being detained by police asked the Manhattan District Attorney to arrest the police inspector at the center of the controversy.

In letter sent Tuesday on behalf of protester Kaylee Dedrick to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, attorney Ronald Kuby demands that the prosecutor file assault charges against Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna and place him under arrest.

Dedrick, a 24-year-old teacher’s aide, was one of five women being held by police officers in orange plastic netting on Sept. 24 during an Occupy Wall Street demonstration near Manhattan’s Union Square. Her lawyer wrote that she was treated at the emergency room after the pepper-spray incident and “suffered serious physical pain as a result of this attack.”

Dedrick was not arrested in the incident, her lawyer wrote. Under the New York Police Department’s Patrol Guide, Kuby noted in the letter, pepper spray may be used in “non-arrest situations only to subdue an emotionally disturbed person or against a dangerous animal.”

READ MORE AT WSJ.COM

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Comments

[WheresNixon]

04:14 AM on 10/17/2011

I love how everyone is jumping to conclusions. There is no evidence of any wrong doing in this video!

[Vivacia Sedai]

09:38 PM on 10/15/2011

He deserves to be fired.

[boscobear]

06:04 PM on 10/15/2011

Also arrest the cop who ran over the person w/ his motercycle and then arrested him.

[Edward Madahbee]

04:12 PM on 10/14/2011

everyone is so quick to condemn this officer, what he did was wrong, but he also put his time into the force, he is old and maybe more grumpy, also older people or seniors sometimes feel like there above the law, let alone a senior police officer, but this guy is allowed to make mistakes, thank goodness it was a stupid little mistake where a few people got pepper sprayed, fire him, no benefits, it seems people just want to make things worse, i think he should be forced to retire because his age is causing him to have bad judgements, oh and by the way, if you are going to a protest maybe keep in mind there could be hostility

[Mr Anonymous]

12:00 AM on 10/16/2011

Yeah, but she wasn't being hostile. The cops came in hostile. Thus, in an altercation its the primary aggressor that is always the one to be arrested and charged.

[Edward Madahbee]

04:01 PM on 10/16/2011

you missed my point, that's ok, i am sure you miss alot of things

[heboprotagonist]

04:09 PM on 10/16/2011

Actually, I don't think we should let police officers make mistakes.
They have assumed a position of responsibility and therefore should be held to a higher standard. If an officer fails to uphold that standard, for any reason, he should be let go.

[Torinir]

12:57 PM on 10/14/2011

Serve and Protect has been replaced with Serve and Protect the Corporate Interests.

Sad that I can almost quote a video game and have it apply accurately to real world events.

The video game? Deus Ex: Human Revolution

[woopaw2010]

07:30 PM on 10/13/2011

Can anyone think of a good reason as to why ASSAULT charges should not be sought against this sworn officer of the law, who in plain sight, PEPPERED SPRAYED a peaceful demonstrator, in exercise of her First Amendment rights?

[Jane Su]

01:43 AM on 10/14/2011

Just a violent-happy man armed with weapons doing his "job". If he had pepper sprayed my niece, he'd have gotten a taste of his own medicine.

[diabalos76]

05:05 AM on 10/14/2011

And you would be the one unjustly thrown in jail for who knows how long. Imagine going in for assaulting an officer. Imagine where they might throw you because you're now garbage to them. Someone inside that holding pen doesn't like you, you got the last bag of crackers or you rolled your eyes at something other then what she was talking to her cellies about or she thinks you're a yuppie and doesn't like what she deems as "your type" and attacks you while you're waiting for your family to set bail. You defend yourself regardless of the outcome. Now you have to go to court for ANOTHER assault and battery charge while you're waiting for the first one to go through. Guess what now? That's right. You're now a "troublemaker" as you shown a pattern of "violent behavior" or "out of control anger issues". You've just lost your freedom.....for again, who knows how long.
Things happen all too easy in this crooked system and we as a people are the only ones that pay for it just like this 24 yo girl did. Simple fact is, cops shouldn't have much more power then you or I, but nothing will change that until We as a People demand or force its change. Flip side of that coin, you get a cop in jail with inmates who know there's a cop in there with them.....no wonder why they defend each other like they do.

[Mr Anonymous]

12:01 AM on 10/16/2011

Thats the big problem. The cops can eff with you all they want, but if you try and defend yourself then you're getting sent away.

[racerx0909]

05:47 PM on 10/13/2011

For Gods sake where is Batman when you need him !!!

[iridium53]

03:30 PM on 10/13/2011

The New York Police Department will definitely NOT arrest or discipline one of their own senior officers.

Police corruption is absolute in the Gotham.

[Aladdin Sane1]

02:37 PM on 10/15/2011

"Police corruption is absolute in the Gotham."

Well, at least enough for its own Wikipedia article.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandals_and_allegations_of_the_New_York_City_Police_Department

[MosesDidItBest]

03:10 PM on 10/13/2011

How many times will they review the available video of what this officer did and what other conclusion can they come to other than it was an unprovoked attack, an assault on innocent women?

It's all over the net and I've yet to read any other interpretation.

Get this loose cannon off of the streets before he does irreparable harm to other innocent citizens. Any defense of Bologna is nothing less than condoning a vicious and brutal attack by this officer. Arrest him, charge him, try him. Forget a police or a city hall investigation, it is on tape for the world to see.

[ver1tas]

03:02 PM on 10/13/2011

Justice in America.... this is the "democracy" and "freedom" they want to spread all over the world.

[Mr Anonymous]

12:03 AM on 10/16/2011

America has never wanted to spead democracy and freedom all over the world, thats just what they tell the ignorant to go along with what they're doing.

[jugglefire]

01:10 PM on 10/13/2011

Tony Baloney proving true what Mick Jagger said years ago..."every cop is a criminal".

[sueinmn]

01:01 PM on 10/13/2011

Gees it would appear we are at the same level as Egypt. Abuses by authority, corrupt and above the laws they treat protesters alike whether it be a free country or dictator.

THIS MUST STOP America, what is wrong with people to back this type of authority? What is wrong that we elect politicians that freely stand for this type of treatment?

[sugarpops]

12:31 PM on 10/13/2011

D.I. Bologna is a thug with a badge. He should be thrown off the NYPD and his pension should be seized to pay for his victims medical bills and pain and suffering.

[jla1125]

08:13 AM on 10/13/2011

It's been seventeen days since the incident. They have several videos of the incident. Yet they're still "investigating" it and they have yet to even talk to the victims or even look at their medical records. If this was someone who wasn't on the police force the "investigation" would have taken less than seventeen minutes. When they say they're still "investigating" after two and a half weeks it's quite clear what they're really saying is "we're delaying as long as possible hoping that people will forget about it so we can sweep it under the rug."

[majorwiblit]

08:25 AM on 10/13/2011

agreed,,,,,,,f+f,,,,,,,,,,we can not let this go away,,,,,the police stick together,,I understand that,,
but he is a menace,,,,,they now are stuck with a real problem,,,,fire him,he will and others will become fair game for lawsuits,,,and most cops are good cops,,it only takes one bad cop to have big problems,,,the city will stand behind him till the end,,,thats the way that works!,,,they will wait till it quiets down,,,and ask him to retire,,,full pension,,,she,,and others,will then file a civil law suit,,,
and then we shall see,,,

[dayzee10]

07:17 AM on 10/13/2011

How bad is he when the cameras are not around?