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.

See huffingtonpost.com/new-york for more New York news and blogs

Comments

[Readbetweentheelevens]

Thank you, Mr. Serpico. I'm glad you took the time to add your thoughts on this issue.

[AuntiepoppyCock]

One time I watched the movie Serpico twice.

I read Dark Alliance by Gary Webb, so I'm not surprised, but saddened that some public servants continue to use their badge and gun as a means to kill people just for shi ts and giggles. I wonder how much money the tax payers have had to pay over the years due to law suits...I bet if we added up every American city we might all be able to kiss debt and layoff's goodbye. Law enforcement like any public service position can be rewarding, but the darkside is a scary place to be. I always thought the ghetto was created and maintained to insure policitians kept their status and pension.

[Discipulus04]

HuffPo's coolness factor just jumped ten-fold. To have frank Serpico actually take his time to write an article here has added a level of legitimacy that not even a politician's musings could have. Thanks for your point of view Frank.

[discourse jockey]

Hey, "academic desk jockeys", I like that one.

[BackFromParadise]

Alright, I'm a black man who definitely criticizes the police dept and rightfully so. Considering this, I still respect the police. I feel that the way people respect marines, airman, seals etc they should have the same respect for police. This however, doesn't mean they should be treated like anyone else when commiting CRIMES. Every time a black person is killed by a police officer, the knee jerk reaction from whites(even liberals, yes) is the black person must have did SOMETHING. Although, whenever I see a story about a white person being mistreated by police or killed, these posts never exist. The posts seem to center around the rhetoric of police abusing their power. I really appreciate your post because frankly no one's gonna listen to a black person talk about police racism. Actually, they won't listen to a black person talk about racism in general. That person has to be white for anyone to listen. When related to police though, it's golden to find an officer who's on our side. Thank you.

[ObamaSheeple]

I don't think what you say is true. Plenty of people believe a large segment, but not a majority, of the police are either racist or just not suitable for service because they are violent gang thugs in blue uniforms.

[LuckyLT2]

Tis true.

[robXdion]

Officer Edwards was shct in the back, not the chest as first reported. That update came later after the story faded from top headlines. So being a cop with investigative experience, what do you think happened? That's right, Edwards was never given a chance to comply with instructions (if any were actually given) to drop his weapon or identify himself. The other 3 cops who approached him can claim anything they want to save their own skins.

[lechatnoir]

The world needs more people with cojones like yours, Mr Serpico. Hope to read more from you.

[marinara]

excellent blog mr. serpico.

[Margaretpoa]

Cops, especially these days, all seem to have an "us against them" attitude that is only conducive to creating more and more of these situations. Until police officers start getting PROSECUTED for their crimes like the rest of us do, they have zero incentive to change. Sure, there is a racial element but the most important part of this equation is police officers viewing everybody who is not a cop as an enemy. Almost all judges these days are ex prosecutors and many prosecutors are ex police officers. The problem with that arrangement is that there are no voices from the other side, except the victims who are invariably smeared or ignored. "To protect and to serve" should now be "to cover my ass and serve lies".

[Lilly06]

I totally agree

[dayala]

WOW!

Frank Serpico posting on huffpo...h­ow cool is that.
loved the movie with Al Pacino.

[LizM]

Did you find it odd how Detective Serpico described the incident where he was shot as a bungled narcotics operation and by writing here that he also was not consoled by his fellow cops, implying, if you didn't know any better, that his shooting was similar to that of Officer Edwards ie ostensibly a case of 'mistaken identity'?

...not consoled by his fellow cops!? Wasn't Serpico SET UP by his fellow cops?...wa­s the movie not accurate - I never read the book - or, am I not accurately recalling what transpired in the movie? Or, is Detective Serpico now implying here that Officer Edwards was set up and that this sort of criminal police behavior is still happening?

[bnww]

Someone with insider's NYPD outlook -- and who's telling the truth. What a breath of fresh air!

[katielady]

I remember you, Frank, as Diana says, if only your ethics were the rule everywhere in this country and in this world. Thank you for your continuing voice.

I remember when the movie was being filmed. I was a nurse in a city hospital in NYC in the late 60s and 70s. Saw so much .. nothing has changed.. I have lived in NC for years.. streets everywhere present a danger to law enforcement officers who protect us. I volunteered with my police dept. Most officers on the street and most detectives are the best.. Things start to change as officers rise thru the ranks.. more compromises for budgets, size of work force and more power..

[Diana]

Just wanted to echo the sentiments of others here by saying if only your moral authority were the rule and not the exception--not just in law enforcement but in all aspects of public service--this country would be in quite a different place today.

Write more.

[BlueFloyd]

thank you , Mr. Serpico. It is an honor. I have read a great deal about you. I have lived in nyc for over 15 years, and am continually amazed by the teflon nature of the cops in this city. Even in philly, where i am from, and where the cops have a nasty reputation, disciplinary measures are routinely taken against bad cops, cops go to trial, cops get convicted. In nyc, they get legal bulletproof vests.

Take for example the shooting of Sean Bell. No matter how one may feel about that shooting, or the behavior of Sean Bell or his friends that night, would ANYBODY want or justify 51 bullets flying in their neighborhood, where thousands of people live and work within that square block?? One of the bullets missed so badly that it broke through the Air Train office window. Is that acceptable? I am white, and I live near there. If it was a predominantly white neighborhood, they might've killed the guy, but they wouldnt have callously let 51 bullets fly wherever they felt like landing. I wonder if they knew a few white folks lived around there.....­.would they maybe have let loose with the full barrage???

Just asking....


Thank you for your service and courage, Mr. Serpico!

[AGarcia]

Thank you for posting this, Mr. Serpico. I hope a few policemen (and others) read this and think about it, especially that last paragraph. Racism and police brutality are tough subjects for people to tackle and I'm glad to see someone like yourself coming forward and speaking about both from personal experience. I hope we can get a good dialogue going between the public and law enforcement and do something about it.