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NYPD Disciplines Officer Seen Wearing Pro-Trump Patches While On Duty
By
David Cruz
Published Feb 6, 2021
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@FirenzeMike
By
David Cruz
Published Feb 6, 2021
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The NYPD is investigating an officer seen on video openly wearing two patches referencing former President Donald Trump, one of which read "Make Enforcement Great Again".
On Saturday, the department tweeted that it's "aware of a video showing one of our members wearing a politically oriented patch" and that the officer "has already received an initial discipline." But the NYPD did not elaborate on that discipline.
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea followed up with his own tweet, saying "Members of the NYPD must remain apolitical — it’s essential to public trust & officers’ ability to perform their jobs."
The officer, whose last name is Martillo according to their badge ID seen in several videos, was part of a group of officers responding to a protest outside Brooklyn's 84th Precinct Friday evening. The demonstration was organized in support of a move to fire one of the precinct's officers, Artem Prusayev, whom protesters claimed had brandished a gun at them as they demanded he wear a mask during a protest last month.
An NYPD spokesperson did not return an email asking for the officer's full name, Martillo is reportedly a sergeant.
In one of the videos posted on social media, Martillo is seen standing with a group of masked officers outside the precinct at the corner of Tillary and Gold streets as demonstrators question why she's wearing two separate pro-Trump patches. While both are a variation of Trump's signature hairstyle planted on the top of the Marvel Comics' character and vigilante Punisher skull logo, one of the patches shows the"Make Enforcement Great Again" inscribed underneath the skull image. The Punisher image, which sells on Amazon and eBay, has become a favorite decal on conservative websites and commonly spotted by members of the white supremacist group, the Proud Boys.
Martillo stood wide-eyed and silent as demonstrators accused her of joining the insurrection on January 6th by pro-Trump supporters, while also labeling her a "domestic terrorist." In one instance, Martillo is spotted pulling down her mask and mockingly blowing a kiss at someone off camera.
Talia Jane, an independent reporter, was documenting the protests and also noticed Martillo wearing the patches.
"It speaks to how ineffective the disciplinary actions that the NYPD takes are," Jane said of the blatant use of the patches. "The worst that's probably going to happen to this person is that she might get docked a couple of vacation days. So, of course, she's going to be blowing kisses and proudly flaunting this because the repercussions for are not that serious."
The latest incident is part of a string of instances where officers violated departmental guidelines by wearing or saying something that expresses their personal political beliefs while on duty.
Days before the November election between Trump and President Joe Biden, a video surfaced showing an on-duty officer taunting a passerby by shouting "Trump 2020" over a police car loudspeaker on the first day of early voting. The unidentified officer was later suspended.
The NYPD is currently investigating an unidentified officer who allegedly attended the Capitol Hill riots on January 6th. The outcome of the investigation is still pending.
All this came months after the Police Benevolent Association, which represents patrol officers, had further politicized the NYPD by formally endorsing Trump ahead of the election.
The incident comes a day after Shea had signed an agreement with the Civilian Complaint Review Board that agreed to the newly released NYPD disciplinary matrix, which outlines a set of advisory penalties against officers found guilty of misconduct.
"You can call for reforms and accountability, but like, it's not actually going to improve the attitude behind a lot of police," Jane said. "A lot of police officers who feel that they're invincible."
Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeant Benevolent Association, said the officer's superiors simply should've ordered her to take off the decals.
“With all the stuff that’s occurring in the city right now, we’re worried about a patch?” Mullins told the NY Post on Saturday. “You know how to fix that problem. You say, ‘It’s not authorized. Take it off.’”
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nypd
David Cruz
David is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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