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Over A Dozen Complaints Have Been Made Against Ol' Detective Cherry
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 2, 2015
Modified Apr 2, 2015
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By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 2, 2015
Modified Apr 2, 2015
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Since 2001, the CCRB has received over a dozen complaints regarding the NYPD detective who was recently caught on camera berating an Uber driver in an unhinged xenophobic rant. Detective Patrick Cherry, who was stripped of his badge and gun and placed on desk duty yesterday, appears to have some anger management issues; according to the NY Times, some of the prior complaints contained "similar allegations."
The CCRB isn't commenting on what disciplinary action, if any, resulted from the prior complaints against Cherry, who until this week held an elite position in the Joint Terrorism Task Force. When it comes to punishment, the CCRB's role is purely advisory; it's up to the NYPD Commissioner to dispense the recommended penalties against an offending officer, or not.
But yesterday Commissioner Bill Bratton apologized to the Uber driver and his two passengers for Cherry's tirade, declaring, "That officer's behavior reflected poorly on everyone who wears our uniform." Bratton added that it "violated every one of the tenets that we are attempting to teach at the Police Academy."
Others feel the NYPD is coming down too heavy on Cherry. Michael J. Palladino, the president of the Detectives’ Endowment Association, says that before his fateful encounter with the Uber driver, Cherry had been visiting a fellow detective with the Joint Terrorism Task Force who is hospitalized following a heart attack.
"The past five days have been emotionally draining for the members of the JTTF dealing with their fellow detective's health," Palladino said yesterday. "Despite what some people think, cops have feelings, too." Palladino told the Times, "Detective Cherry is a person of good character and an excellent detective. He really should not be judged by one isolated incident."
Or 13 isolated incidents, whatever. Detective Cherry knows what planet he's on. Do YOU? Let these words from cop message board NYPD Rant set you straight: "The libs in the back need a punch in the face or a good mugging."
Another NYPD Rant commenter has this perceptive takeaway: "The most disturbing thing about that video was the passenger's sock and shoe."
But the most important lesson here, according to one NYPD Ranter, is to never get out of the car: "The best policy is I am here to make a living not a difference. Cops know how to improve this city but it just does not matter. I never leave the car is rule number 1. NYC does not want cops. A million dollars worth of cop thrown to the wind because people don't like to see what policing looks like." In short, you can't handle the truth on your home planet.
Tagged
anger management
patrick cherry
uber
xenophobia
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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