Posted on 12/16/2008 9:41:42 AM PST by BGHater
A grand jury indictment is expected to be unsealed Tuesday in the case of a New York City police officer shown in video footage knocking a bicyclist to the ground in Times Square.
Officer Patrick Pogan has been told to appear for arraignment on charges in the indictment in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, said his attorney Stu London.
Sources familiar with the investigation said the charges against Pogan are expected to be misdemeanor assault and felony filing of a false instrument.
"He denies any wrongdoing in this matter," London said. "The video in question doesn't show the reckless behavior of the bicyclist prior to Officer Pogan taking police action. He was clearly disruptive and in accordance with the type of behavior the office was trained to prevent or stop."
Pogan was stripped of his badge and gun and assigned to desk duty after video emerged from the July 25 Critical Mass bicycle ride. The footage, shown widely on YouTube, showed Pogan shoving Christopher Long off his bike.
After the event, a monthly bike ride held around the world to draw attention to alternatives to motor vehicles, police said Long was arrested because he was obstructing traffic and had deliberately steered his bicycle into an officer.
In September, charges against Long were dismissed. Long's attorney, who had said his client is considering suing the city, could not be reached Monday.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
IF they’re destroying property or hurting people, use the FORCE necessary to stop them and apprehend them.
I’d have no problem with a cop giving a “wood shampoo” to somebody assaulting another citizen or destroying property.+
But use, above all, DISCRETION.
This cop clearly didn’t.
He committed assault.
Then he lied about it.
Then he filed a false police report and continued to lie.
“intentionally running stop lights and tying up traffic” is not a violent crime and should not be treated as such.
The city looks worse for it.
The NYPD surely looks worse for it.
The cop screwed himself royally.
CM gets some good press.
Oh, and the guy on the bike?
He’s getting a new 23-speed custom-made European model.
Gold plated.
they do not stay in the bike lanes, they do not stay along the prescribed routes, they go thru red lights, the fail to yield to pedestrians. they cost the city $1000's upon $1000's every time they ride.
this cop will most likely lose his job. and if the courts convict him of a crime i will lose no sleep over him.
It's obvious the officer was moving to put that, particular, cyclist on the ground. These reason is unclear on the video, so perhaps you are correct.
The threat of death or injury comes from the actions of the “protesters”. They are violating the law, tying up traffic, and causing a hazardous condition wherever they go.
Now, the police can either ignore this or do something about it. If they decide to do something about it, how are they to stop a bicyclist who refuses to stop?
I think we can agree up front that shooting them is right out. Likewise Tazing them might be problematic, seeing as how they are moving so fast. Frankly, tackling them seems to be about the only thing they can do, other than letting them go.
Now, I am confident that the NYPD is working diligently on a countermeasure for this sort of protest. Before too long, they will come up with something that the bicyclists just can’t get around, and that will be the end of that. The NYPD tactics have pretty much eliminated the hazards involved in mass marches, greatly reducing the violence all around. It is only a matter of time before they solve this problem too.
Fair enough.
I’m no fan of cyclists who break the law, even unintentionally.
I have to stop at the sign, so do they.
Some of these things seem to materialize out of thin air, with little or no warning. Even if they had a tactic or took, mobilizing in time might be tough, at least as the start of the ride.
If the police can come up with a reasonable way of stopping nonviolent protesters without undue violence, I’d back them in a heartbeat.
Holding up a hand and saying “Stop!” and then grabbing the cyclist is certainly within reasonable bounds. If the cyclist doesn’t want to stop, and gets hurt when a cop grabs him, TOUGH.
Critical Mass are pests. I support the policeman here. Due to the law coming down on this cop the Critical Mass anarchists will have more room to run amok
The key will be good intelligence. If the NYPD can get a little bit of notice, maybe an hour or so, they will be able to deploy sufficient officers to the area to carry out an organized response.
I’m thinking of something like lining the crosswalks with officers, and playing it like a big game of Red Rover. Twenty officers holding a rope across 7th Avenue can pretty much put an and to any mass movement of anything, including bicycles. Then when the light turns green, the officers can just walk to the curb and let traffic pass, while they block movement on the side streets (No right on red in NYC, don’tcha know...)
Once things are slowed down and the bicycles have to stop for stoplights, the effectiveness of the mass ride protest will come to an end.
Yeah, the CM guys are a-holes. As a hard-core bicycle commuter and avid recreational cyclist it makes me real nervous when I see the way they behave. It’s anarchy, pure and simple, only it’s done from the saddle of a bike.
I do not support cyclists trying to shove their opinions down the throats of other citizens as if we live under mob rule.
That said, the cop is an a-hole for what he did.
Wouldn’t matter if she called the boss, only if I were charged with a crime.
Am I happy with it? No.
Is it the way the world works in many industries? Yes.
Yup.
thank god for my union then. i would not like to be summarily fired for nonsense. you might be willing toaccept that, not me. i work too hard.
Uh, about unions...VA is a “right to work” state. Unions do exist, but they are toothless.
If a company requires bonding (and many do), it is often a clause in their bond that people under charges must be let go.
Now, if that requirement can exist for say, an insurance broker, why not also for a policeman, who acts with the authority of the state?
And most especially for an officer who is charged with lying on a police report.
Not only should he be fired, he should be held without bond until trial.
________________________________________
Ah...another freeper for whom the US Constitution is meaningless.
I've always found that those who hate cops the most are guys who flunked the test or couldn't cut the academy.
LOL. Cheeky. Completly wrong on every point, but you get points for humor.
You’re right. I should have said Spandex Nazis. I didnt mean to imply people on motorbikes or bicyclist who obey traffic laws.
I still like to replay your picture in my mind when the Spandex Nazis are taking up the entire lane on the two lane highway I live on. They refuse to go single file in the bicycle lane so I can pass them. Then they give me the finger when I finally do get around them.
I drive a turbo diesel pick up truck that will lay down a dense cloud of soot and smoke about two hundred feet long if you tickle the throttle just right [:-)
although LEO's are held to a higher standard, that's going a bit too far. I've arrested guys with guns who are walking free the next day awaiting their court date.
my union doesn't have all that much power, but this cop should not be summarily dismissed. he's behind a desk with no gun awaiting his fate. and most likely he'll be suspended in short order if he isn't already.
“I’ve arrested guys with guns”
What crime did you charge them with?
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