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Bratton Criticizes NYPD Officers Who Arrested Brooklyn Mailman They Almost Ran Over
By
Scott Heins
Published Mar 29, 2016
Modified May 12, 2016
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Scott Heins/Gothamist
By
Scott Heins
Published Mar 29, 2016
Modified May 12, 2016
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Police Commissioner Bill Bratton finally addressed the incident involving four officers who arrested a Brooklyn postal worker earlier this month. Speaking at a press conference Monday, Bratton said he is "not happy" with the plainclothes cops, who were captured on video harassing USPS employee Glen Grays after he had reportedly shouted at them for nearly hitting him with their unmarked car as he delivered packages in Crown Heights.
The March 17th cellphone video begins immediately after the near-collision, and shows Grays being harassed by four officers. They demand to see Grays's identification, then close in on him and place him in handcuffs when he doesn't immediately run to his truck to retrieve it.
"Stop resisting!" one NYPD officer yells at Grays.
"You're going to get hurt if you don't give me your fucking hands," another tells the postal worker.
Grays, who has no criminal record, was ultimately released with a ticket for resisting arrest despite having committed no crime prior to being cuffed. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams accused the NYPD of "sweeping the incident under the rug," and demanded that officers be reprimanded.
Bratton told reporters Monday that he had reviewed the video and was upset with what he saw. "All four of these people, including the lieutenant, were in street clothes, not in uniform. That’s in direct violation of our patrol guide. So we will be investigating that element of it. I was not happy with some of the behavior I saw on that video,” he said, according to Politico.
In an interview with CBS This Morning, Grays said, "The only thing I think saved me is that it was on videotape." Grays went on to describe the rough treatment he received while in police custody.
"They rear ended the car and I wind up from the back seat, banged my left shoulder onto the driver seat and banged my face into their armrest," he said. Grays reportedly needed hospitalization following the crash.
Bratton promised an Internal Affairs report on Grays's arrest, but stopped short of mentioning any specific punishment for the four cops involved. Grays himself, however, has stressed that he does not hope to see them lose their badges. “They might have family, kids that they need to support,” Grays also told CBS. “It’s sad. I thought that when I put on the uniform that I’d be treated a little different. But there’s no difference. And I’m just another brother with a uniform.”
Tagged
Bill Bratton
Crown Heights
glen grays
nypd
Scott Heins
Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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