City Subpoenas Reporter For NYPD Tapes Proving Quotas

Christopher Robbins

Published Dec 10, 2013

Modified Dec 10, 2013

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Christopher Robbins

Published Dec 10, 2013

Modified Dec 10, 2013

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New York City has subpoenaed recordings obtained by a veteran police reporter that illustrate how the NYPD instituted quotas and downgraded and suppressed crime reports. The Times reports that former Village Voice reporter Graham Rayman received an order to turn over the audio files he obtained from former officer Adrian Schoolcraft, of Brooklyn's 81st Precinct. "I have no intention of cooperating,” Rayman told the Times. “I think it would be malpractice for a journalist to cooperate with a subpoena like this and would have a chilling effect on what all journalists do.”

A city attorney told the paper that the subpoena was a "last resort," and necessary because Schoolcraft, who is suing the city and the department, no longer had access to the tapes. Rayman published a series of articles and a book detailing how the police department retaliated against Schoolcraft—at one point committing him for psychiatric observation for six days—after he complained to Internal Affairs Bureau about quotas and crime downgrading in his precinct.

Rayman might take comfort in a New York Appellate court's decision today that blocked an order from a Colorado district attorney that would have forced a FOX News reporter to reveal her sources. The DA had demanded to know the law enforcement sources that gave reporter Jana Winter information on a notebooks that the purported gunman in the Aurora shooting massacre, James Holmes, had given to his psychiatrist prior to the shootings.

The appellate court panel ruled [PDF] that the DA's order lacked merit. "There is no principle more fundamental or well-established than the right of a reporter to refuse to divulge a confidential source," the judges wrote.

And now, prepare to agree with Roger Ailes:

"Today's ruling is a major win for all journalists," said Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes. "The protection of Jana Winter's confidential sources was necessary for the survival of journalism and democracy as a whole. We are very grateful that the highest court in New York State agreed with our position."

Tagged

Adrian Schoolcraft

first amendment

fox news

graham rayman

quotas

the NYPD tapes

Christopher Robbins

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Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.

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