Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Is NYPD's Knife Crackdown Just a Tad Overzealous?
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 27, 2011
Modified Jan 28, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 27, 2011
Modified Jan 28, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Not long after a man stabbed two men to death on the No. 2 train with a kitchen knife last year, the NYPD stepped up its enforcement of the city's illegal knife ban, and Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance got Paragon and Home Depot to stop selling illegal switchblades. In April, the crackdown swept up former Pulino's chef Nate Appleman, who was spotted with a chain running from his belt into a pocket, where he kept a two inch long knife that he "used to cut boxes at work." Appleman was arrested, and it seems the NYPD hasn't let up; their latest famous collar is East Village artist John Copeland. But luckily for him, he had lawyer Ron Kuby on his side. (He knows his rights, man.)
Copeland, who shows at the Nicholas Robinson Gallery in Chelsea and internationally, was arrested for carrying an illegal gravity knife in his pocket as he walked home along East 3rd Street on October afternoon, the Daily News reports. (According to the Post, he had it in a belt clip.) Gravity knives are defined by state law as knives that open via centrifugal force and have a blade that locks automatically in place. Copeland—who bought the knife at Paragon years ago, before they stopped carrying them—maintains that he was never able to open it with one hand, but the cop who arrested him did it with ease.
In court yesterday, Kuby told the judge, "Apparently, whether or not a knife is a gravity knife depends on the wrist size and dexterity of the arresting officer." After Kuby explained that Copeland is an artist who used the knife to cut canvases, the judge let Copeland off with an ACD. The charges could be punishable with up to a year in prison, but usually result in a community service sentence. "It's completely ridiculous," Kuby told the News. "They arrested me for basically carrying a tool I use for work that wasn't a gravity knife—it was a folding knife. I've been carrying a pocket knife since I was a kid."
Tagged
gravity knives
illegal knives
john copeland
knife
ron kuby
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Several arrested in wake of ICE protest where Manhattan man was shot in the neck
Oscar Belgal was in his car with his 5-year-old when ICE agents fired seven shots into the vehicle.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 9, 2026 at 7:24 a.m. ET
Bronx homeowners facing foreclosure are in the market for assistance
Some are looking for information and legal guidance, but also help clearing worrisome balances.
By
Willow Higgins
News
Bronx homeowners facing foreclosure are in the market for assistance
Some are looking for information and legal guidance, but also help clearing worrisome balances.
By
Willow Higgins
Cornell students warned of fraternity 'rape culture' years before Jane Doe case
By
Walter Wuthmann
ICE agent fires 7 rounds, shoots man in neck in NYC's Marble Hill, NYPD says
By
Giulia Heyward
and
Arya Sundaram
Lazy drivers in Prospect Heights lose chance for 1 less day of alternate-side parking
By
Liam Quigley
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .