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Lying NYPD Spokesman Paul Browne To Step Down (Unless THAT'S ALSO A LIE?)
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 18, 2013
Modified Jul 18, 2013
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 18, 2013
Modified Jul 18, 2013
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Paul "Prevaricatin'" Browne, the man New Yorkers pay over $100,000 a year to lie about NYPD misconduct, will go shovel bullshit somewhere else. Notre Dame, specifically, where he's accepted the job of Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications. We'll give you a moment to dab a handkerchief to the corners of your eyes.
Browne, who is despised by various media outlets and public officials not just for lying but also, as the AP reports, refusing to release "police reports, mug shots, arrest logs, 911 recordings and other documents." During Browne's 9 years as Deputy Commissioner, Public Information, he masterfully withheld all sorts of public information about America's largest police force, and consistently lied when confronted with allegations of NYPD misconduct. "Paul Browne has been the face of what feels like a systematic effort to keep the public in the dark about what the NYPD is doing," says Donna Lieberman, chief executive of the NYCLU.
"There are too many instances where he has blatantly lied about what is going on with the NYPD to the taxpayers who pay his salary," City Councilman Jumaane Williams said last year. "Once, perhaps you could say it was a mistake. Twice, oops, I did it again. Three, four, five times: There's no excuse." To be sure, publicists and press flacks are expected to lie; that's always been part of the job. But Browne is first and foremost a civil servant paid to inform the citizens of New York about bwahahahaaa yeah right.
Browne's successor is John J. McCarthy, who currently serves as a senior advisor and spokesman in the Mayor’s Office. Follow him on Twitter! According to the NYPD press release:
Prior to working for the Mayor’s Office and the NYPD, Mr. McCarthy served as Director of Public Affairs at the Port Authority, and handled communications and legal affairs at the MTA and New York State Office of Homeland Security. He began his career in public service as an attorney on the Moreland Commission on New York City Schools, which investigated the old Board of Education. John is a graduate of Fordham College and Fordham University School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor. He is a native of Queens where he currently resides with his family.
Browne's last day is August 18th. Will there be a BBQ on the roof of 1 Police Plaza in his honor? McCarthy starts the next day, and we eagerly await this new era of NYPD transparency and probity! For more on Browne's Greatest Bullshits, here's a Top Ten Roundup of the NYPD's most revolting lies.
Tagged
nypd
paul browne
propaganda
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.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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