NYPD in Black and White

"What did you think of the shooting in the city the other day?" my friend on the other end of the line asked. He's a retired NYPD lieutenant with 20 years of service.

"What shooting?" I asked - me a retired NYPD detective shot in the line of duty in a bungled buy-and-bust narcotics operation.

"Where the cop shot the other cop," he said matter-of-factly.

"What??!!"

It was another case of white-cop-shoots-black-man - and not the first time in New York City history when the black man turned out to be another cop.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"Well," he said after a pause, "another inexperienced young Turk, lacking discretion and judgment, assigned to an anti-crime unit." It brought to mind the Diallo debacle, where four white cops assigned to a street crimes unit panicked and fired 41 shots at an unarmed black man, standing in the doorway of his home in the Bronx. Street crimes unit, anti-crime unit. The name may change but the game is the same.

Most white plainclothes police patrolling the streets of Harlem or the Bronx seem to take for granted that every black or Hispanic male "knows" they are cops, while at the same time assuming that just about every black or Hispanic male is a likely suspect of some misdeed. When I was on the force, cops responding to a call for police assistance in a dispute involving a white and black man would invariably approach the white guy asking, "What's the problem, sir?" I remember one black man saying shyly, "I am the one who called."

Officer Omar J. Edwards has been forever silenced. He is unable to defend himself against the unfair slights of posthumous revisionism, the blaming of the victim.

He was running with his gun drawn, the academic desk jockeys will say.

Officer Edwards had his gun drawn because he was dealing with a crackhead who had broken into his car. Sure, I know what the patrol guide says and what it doesn't say. But no self-respecting police officer is going to see his personal effects rifled and not take immediate action. The report seems to indicate that his shield was properly displayed.

He shouldn't have turned around when he heard someone tell him to stop and drop the gun, the cop self-defense mantra goes on.

Let's get real. Sure, the patrol guide mandates you "remain motionless when so ordered." But the average person is going to look to see who is giving the order.

(One night when I was on the force, I was on duty, wrestling a burglar to the ground, when an unmarked car swerved around the corner. I thought they were coming to assist me, but the two clowns who called themselves "cops" opened fire without saying a word. It was only their bad shooting and my quick response in hitting the ground, thanks to my military training, that saved my life. In the aftermath, after some clever writing and rewriting, they were promoted to detectives.)

And the question remains, was Officer Edwards given a chance to drop his gun before he was cut down in a hale of bullets?

Officer Omar J. Edward, father of two, young, proud, dedicated, still wearing his police academy tee shirt after two years on the job, lay dying on a New York City street, hands shackled behind his back. Mentally teetering between life and death, he was not consoled by his fellow officers to "Hold on, you're gonna make it." He was just another black "perp" victim of police indiscretion, and the higher command's inability or smug unwillingness to properly train and assign its officers.

I was not consoled by my fellow cops either, when I lay bleeding on a filthy tenement landing. No, the assurance came from an old man of color, soothing me and encouraging me to hold on. It felt good.

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Comments

[BigBagel]

I'm retired from NYPD and served in a supervisory rank. I served in plainclothes units including the Narcotics Division. My service is more recent then Frank's. I retired in the recent past. I heard the stories about the"old days", when corruption was institutionalized, and have great respect for what Frank did.
My experience was different then Frank's. I never shot anyone. I was present when one of my fellow officers shot and killed someone and responded as a supervisor to quite a few police related shootings. I myself could have legally shot several people but didn't. I personally know many many officers who showed extreme restraint in using deadly force sometimes suicidal restraint.
Shooting investigations are grueling. You go through the wringer even for shooting a dog and for shooting and missing. I you kill somebody the shooting is presented to a grand jury. No cop takes any of that lightly. Are there nuts? Yea, but they're few and far between. Do terrible accidents happen? Yes. Are under experienced people in some of these plainclothes units? Yes.
Comparing the NYPD of Frank's day to today is like using an encyclopedia dated 1968 for information. Some of the information is still right but a lot of it is out of date.

[arvay]

Really?

How do you explain this?

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

Was the whole "team" that shot this guy 50 times nuts?

I'm sure everyone is very consoled that the officers were saddled with a lot of onerous paperwork.

[Witkacy]

You offer us a precis of your professional experience only to give us the old "a few bad apples" excuse? You needn't have been a cop for two seconds to think that one up...

You're being disingenuous, is what I'm saying. The plain fact is that 1968 and 2009 aren't very different, when it comes to white cops being a mortal threat to the safety of even unarmed black men who haven't broken the law (you know very well that Diallo wasn't murdered as long ago as the 'sixties. Come on).

[rockyersocksoff]

The problem is not that there a few nuts, and far between, sir.

The problem is that you guys KNOW the "nuts", and the simply incompetent; don't kick them out; and protect them when they cross the line.

Or is that "Blue Wall" just a myth?

Mr Serpico?

[butch5]

As a Black retired NYC Transit Police Officer all I can say is here we go again. Fellow cops will say, "Well, I wasn't there", "You never know what you're going to do in a situation". "Edwards should have froze and not moved". To all that I say BULLSHIT!!.

What the f--- is all the training about. Aren't current cops trained to take cover in an armed threat situation which gives them some time to assess the threat. Why is it ALWAYS the Black guy that's getting shot under smelly circumstances?

Good, brave cops who know what the f--- they are doing disarm thugs, crazies every day without anyone getting hurt. It can be done. I will always say that Diallo was murdered. Maybe not 1st degree but it was murder. I've made too many collars and know too many cops who made collars in that same situation without blasting away at a guy that four cops could have surreptiously approached and taken down. These types of officers make it hard for the good cops.

We have not reached that point in time for SOME people where a Black person's life is valued the same as a White person's. And don't tell me about the VERY infrequent time when a White cop or White person was shot/killed by "friendly" fire.

For those who read this and become incensed, tough. I've been seeing these types of shootings since I was a kid and I'm a senior citizen now.

[BigBagel]

I reread my post can't find any justification for the Diallo or Bell shootings. The Diallo shooting was particularly egregious. I would think you would know better then to automatically blame the cop on the street. The Street Crime Unit was expanded too quickly under Safir and Diallo was the result. How about blaming the brass for some of this stuff instead of the guy holding the bag on the street.
How about training? Tell people about the broken down range 36,000 cops qualify at every year.
The Bell shooters were not all white. African American officers were shooters also.
If you the men and women you worked with were for the most part crazy violent racists I feel sorry for you. They're there but most people, black or white, were pretty decent.

[MC1701B]

Just this morning in Melbourne, Florida, there was an armed robbery. Two white officers responded. One of the black perps tried to pull a pistol on the (white) officers, and was tasered for his trouble. Neither cop was injured, and both perps are sitting alive in Sharpes,

If trained NYPD officers can't manage to do even as good a job as the hicks here in a red county with a minority population of around 15%, they need to turn in their badges.

[TFeral]

You're right - the info is out of date. It is much worse than it was in Frank's day. You're experience was different? Glad to hear your "brothers" never shot you. And my mother was wrong - one bad apple does seem to spoil the whole bunch.
I know it is a tough job - and the toughest communities don't help cops, they impede. It's up to us as a society to decide how and when to make this change, and frankly, cops are too close to the ugly side to be able to discern the differences and make the necessary choices.
I still support the officers in our community, but it is tough to justify sometimes. But we need them, and we need to figure out a way to make their jobs honorable and worthy of respect again.

[Gusto2]

TFeral, we will only figure out a way to make cops jobs honorable and worthy of respect when they, the cops see the citizen of the community(Black communities too) as the people they are their to protec and SERVE. The current problems with police is that they view the citizens as the enemy(US vs Them) attitude. They refer to the citizens as "civilians" as if they are the Armed Forces or militias of our commuity. I'm sspeaking from experience I served both in our Armed Forces and in my local Police Dept.

[papapj]

Wherefore art the neocon law-and-order posse on this thread...?

I guess they can always put it down to hearsay and slander of 'the nations finest' ..like they always do.

Serpico, my brother; when the time comes, surely your heart will be seen to be lighter than a feather...­..

[jsgaetano]

They are too busy trying to figure out how their battlecry of "MOAR GUNZ!!!11!!!" can be applied to this situation.

[ImaVeteran]

"academic desk jockeys". I like that too.
Billo, Hannity, Limbaugh, Beck, Cunningham and sooooo on.

[ImaVeteran]

Thanks Frank. So sad a story.

Unfortunatly racism will never end any time soon. You expressed very well the white perception of blacks in a white mind. But, as you probably already know the racism factor works both ways.

Trust me on this because I live next to a lower income housing project where 90% of the residents are black.
I, first hand was a victim of racism having been attacked by black young men. They threw a football into my car and hit me in the face for no reason at all. I know for a fact had I been black this would not have happened.

I know my experience does not rise to the level that you posted. But it bothers me to hell.

"Why can't we all just get along"?

[kyraocity]

@ImaVeteran: a youngblack man from the projects throwing a football at you ain't racism. While there are varying definitions of racism, the one that sticks in the Edwards case is "the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other races" meaning whites are above suspicion while blacks are always suspect. The football incident might be better labeled "prejudice: Devaluing (looking down on) a group because of its assumed behavior, values, capabilities, or attributes" (Kottak 2008, 239). While the friendly fire cases involved racial bias are more of a reflection of "discrimin­ation-Poli­cies and practices that harm a group and its members." (Kottak 2008, 240). If anything what happens to individual whites in the scenario you depict has more to do with blacks lashing out at the discrimination they have suffered than anything. It ain't riight but you might see it as a valid reaction. In any case, I understand your frustration and there is a long history and context to both situations that are connected.

[Nooneyouknow]

"Lashing out at discrimination" against someone just because they're white is racism. It's not valid, it's just as bad as white kids hitting a black kid in the face with a football. Context and history are important, but it doesn't excuse assault.

[Doyaun De Valda-Martinez]

Umm you know they hit you with a football because you are not black how? Because they were black and you aren't? Every time a black and white get into a problem doesn't mean it is race. I mean people may not like you because of social status, profession, or even you looked at them funny.

[LongBeach5564]

Is it possible that the person simply has poor aim? Or, rather than responding to your race, was responding to the difference between your socio-economic standing? Or, to reiterate, has poor aim?

[cinesimon]

The truth! Thank you, sir!
And maybe the Bill O'Reillys of the world will actually listen to Mr. Serpico.
These days, the folk on Fox and right wing radio are trying to sell to their flock the idea that the only racists who exist today are those who say racism still exists.

I hope they manage to find this article - if they even care.

[elcojonu]

O' Reilly doesn't belong in the same sentence with Frank Serpico.
Dudes like O'Reilly and company haven't lived ' the life '.

[elcojonu]

Frank, I see you still got your street savvy and your CJ's intact.
You're one hella of a man.

[arvay]

This is a rejoinder to everyone who thinks that because America has elected a black president, racism has gone away and we're living in a "post-racial" society.

Things don't change that quickly, and despite lots of progress, we've still got a lot of mental sludge to cleanse from our minds.

It's also clear that "the system" is clearly rigged to protect officers who act unprofessionally.

The recent incident where police shot a young, unarmed black man 50 times -- one officer actually re-loaded and continued firing -- illustrates this perfectly. The officers were cleared of all charges.

This outcome is as credible as Iran's top mullah declaring the Iranian election honest and valid.

Let's be clear.

High crime rates in some minority neighborhoods is not an excuse to create a free-fire zone. Maybe we can apply some of the "hearts and minds" approach we may have learned abroad to our own people. Police complain about hostility. Too bad they can't be transmitted to a place like Zimbabwe where white officers could experience hostile racial profiling, harassment and the occasional reflexive shooting.

Our criminal "justice" system is deeply flawed.

There's one system for people with money, another for the poor. It's a game, not a system of equity. It breeds cynicism and disrespect for law.

[jimthefireman]

A timely reminder of the enormous value to society of public servants with integrity, and the terrible harm done to society by those who lack integrity. I salute you Mr Serpico, and all those who hold themselves to the same ideals of service to the public and courage to confront lawbreakers even if they are wearing a uniform.
Shame on those who feel "loyalty" to the brothers who shot, but none for the couragous undercover officer cut down in his prime. He was a brother too, and deserving of better from his colleagues.

[capndad]

Welcome back, Frank!

Your story should be required reading in citizenship classes. I am speaking of your service both before and after your near death on that landing.

Reading your post, I was struck by the fact that your voice is still needed today. Your experience is still relevant, still a lesson to us all.

Sadly, change comes slowly precisely in those areas where it is most needed.

I hope you continue to contribute to HuffPost.

[emncaity]

Wow, Frank...yo­u're reminding me of every reason I found your story so completely compelling and so significant back in the '70s, even as a teenager then. Thanks for that, and I hope you're well these days.

[katermc]

Thank you. What you wrote is very moving and I appreciate your integrity. I hope you continue to write for HuffPost, because it was a relief to read your perspective. I, also, read your book about your NYC police experience and it has stayed with me for all these years. Thanks.

[Classof89]

Thank you, Mr. Serpico, for writing your thoughts and saying what needed to be said on this recent tragedy of Officer Edwards. Very honest and truthful.

You were and always will be a great hero and role model, and hopefully you will come back regularly to HuffPo.

[jcole]

If you still live in New York i would advise you not to put yourself in danger again, if you let out all of those dirty secrets they will come after you and you know that.

[ptarantino]

Thanks for writing this Mr.Serpico­. It seems like there are very few honorable cops in NYC & I hope more will follow you're example.

We need it.

[pdxsean]

Thank you, Mr. Serpico, for your post. It is great to read your thoughts on this, and I am happy to see that you're taking the opportunity to lend your name once again to justice and honesty.

Years ago, your story inspired me to stand up for myself and not sell-out, and when I am faced with pressure from my employer or coworkers to "play ball" I just think of Frank Serpico and keep on doing my best for those counting on me. While I'm nothing as community-oriented as a cop, your lessons should apply to us all.

Thanks again.

[Centaur]

Mr. Serpico, first and foremost I am glad that you survived your ordeal. I saw the movie "Serpico" and read the novel as well. I won't say I enjoyed the movie or the novel for to say that, it would somehow imply that I liked what happened to you so I'll just say it was compelling stuff. I lived in New York at the time that incident occurred and I thought you were the only honest cop in New York. It's really sad that several decades later, these "incidents" continue to happen.