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Patrick Lynch, head of NYPD's largest union since 1999, won't seek re-election as president
By
Matt Katz
Published Apr 11, 2023
Modified Apr 12, 2023
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Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
By
Matt Katz
Published Apr 11, 2023
Modified Apr 12, 2023
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Patrick Lynch, the incendiary leader of the NYPD’s largest union who has stood at the forefront of public safety policy conversations in the city for 24 years, announced on Tuesday that he will not seek re-election to his post.
The surprise news comes on the heels of a long-awaited tentative labor agreement between the city and the Police Benevolent Association, which represents roughly 23,000 uniformed officers. The eight-year, $5.5 billion deal increases starting salaries and retroactively awards pay raises as high as 28.25% from 2017 to 2025. Officers had been working without a contract for seven years.
Lynch, 59, faces a mandatory retirement from the NYPD due to age in 2026 — a year after the current contract expires.
“This decision is part of a philosophy I have long held: A rider cannot switch horses in the middle of a battle, and the PBA must not change leadership in the middle of a contract fight,” Lynch said in the message to PBA members that was released to the media. “To remain true to my principles, I must allow the change to begin now.”
Lynch joined the NYPD in 1984 and is the PBA’s longest-serving president. He’s a household name to local news viewers and tabloid readers for his vociferous support of officers, his opposition to politicians like former Mayor Bill de Blasio, and his willingness to engage in national politics. Lynch controversially endorsed former President Donald Trump’s re-election.
Known for his slicked-back hair and dramatic arm gestures, Lynch has a flair for attracting publicity to union causes. In 2004, the PBA and firefighters staged a middle-of-the-night protest over a contract stalemate outside of then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s home. In 2015, after director Quentin Tarantino spoke at a rally against police brutality, Lynch called him a “cop-hater” and called for a boycott of Tarantino’s movies.
Outgoing PBA President Patrick Lynch has kept the pot roiling in NYC for years
Here’s a sampling of Patrick Lynch's public statements on major controversies during his tenure:
After the August 2019 firing of a police officer involved in the choke hold death of Eric Garner on Staten Island:
"The job is dead because the leadership of this city and this police department is absolutely afraid of the criminal advocates, and based this decision not on the facts but based this decision on the politics." – NBC News
After former Mayor Mike Bloomberg apologized for the NYPD’s controversial “stop and frisk” policing tactic in November 2019 – when Bloomberg briefly ran for president:
“Mayor Bloomberg could have saved himself this apology if he had just listened to the police officers on the street. We said in the early 2000s that the quota-driven emphasis on street stops was polluting the relationship between cops and our communities.” – Pix11
On the effort in 2020 to repeal a New York state law that for decades shielded police disciplinary records from public view:
“If Civil Rights Law 50-A is repealed, the safety of New York police officers and their families will be placed in jeopardy, and a valuable weapon will be provided to those who would seek to do harm to members of law.” –Gothamist
On the killing of George Floyd in May 2020:
“Not one woman or man that has a shield on their chest, a patch on their shoulder — regardless of what arm of law enforcement they come from — will support or defend a murder of an innocent person, and that’s what happened.” – New York Post
Lynch has also been a regular presence in the media after officers are injured or killed on the job, alternatively yelling and choking back tears.
In 2014, after two officers were shot and killed, Lynch spoke at a press conference outside the hospital where they died. “There's blood on many hands tonight," he said. "That blood on the hands starts at City Hall in the Office of the Mayor." He blamed de Blasio and Black Lives Matter protesters for the death of the two officers, which occurred on the heels of mass protests over the lack of an indictment over the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.
Cops then turned their backs on de Blasio at the slain officers’ funeral — a moment that reportedly stalled de Blasio’s plans to reform the police department and soured the relationship between City Hall and the NYPD. Officers also then engaged in what appeared to be a work slowdown, although Lynch said at the time it was not ordered by the union.
Marq Claxton, a former NYPD detective and director of the Black Law Enforcement Alliance, said the theatrical Lynch that New Yorkers saw on TV is different from the “personal Pat Lynch,” who was far mellower.
Looking at Lynch’s tenure, Claxton criticized the Trump endorsement, saying it “was a significant blow in my estimation to the quality of leadership that was present at the PBA.”
But in the end, Claxton said Lynch secured what might be the best contract in NYPD history for his members.
“That’s a huge victory,” he said. “You can drop the mic and walk off after getting that kind of contract for your membership.”
Eric Dym, who retired last year as a lieutenant and now co-hosts the podcast “New York’s Finest,” said Lynch showed leadership skills and donned a silver tongue, but was too singularly focused on securing a new contract. That meant other issues fell by the wayside, including addressing the increase in entities overseeing NYPD operations, a new disciplinary matrix for officers accused of violating rules, and the mental health stressors that have led to cop suicides.
Dym said that the last time Lynch worked the beat, he didn’t have to wear a body-worn camera, use a Taser or deal with new laws like bail reform.
“All of these issues that are so topical he didn’t have to address himself as a cop, so it became hard for him to relate,” Dym said.
Lynch was elected to the PBA post six times and was due up for reelection this spring.
Corey Grable, the PBA’s transit financial secretary, announced his candidacy for the position months ago. But at a PBA meeting Tuesday announcing his plans not to seek reelection, Lynch threw his support behind Pat Hendry, the PBA treasurer, according to Jennifer Holdsworth, senior advisor to Grable. In response, Grable stood up and challenged Hendry to a future debate, she said.
Messages to the PBA were not immediately returned.
“I'm disappointed [Lynch] attempted to put his finger on the scale of the race to replace him on his way out the door,” Grable said. “The men and women of the NYPD are desperate for new leadership, and we must make sure they will not be subjected to more of the same. I look forward to earning the vote of every single member with my platform of transparency, and I expect a spirited public debate with Mr. Hendry.”
The PBA president election got ugly a few months ago, when a brawl erupted between Lynch and Grable factions at a PBA meeting, according to the Daily News.
Lynch won his last election in a landslide, solidifying a reputation for backing officers at all costs. For years, Lynch vociferously defended Officer Daniel Pantaleo after he put Eric Garner in a choke hold that led to his death, igniting public outcry in New York and around the country. When the NYPD fired Panateleo, Lynch was visibly angered as news cameras clicked.
“The job is dead,” he said, because politicians had taken away the powers that officers had to enforce the law.
In 2004, after Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said there was “no justification” for the police killing of a Black teenager, Lynch responded: "Take all the risks of doing your job, go up on all those roofs, patrol all those subway platforms, walk the streets day and night, take the risks to yourself, take the risks to your family, but then when the worst happens, when there's a tragedy, that you will not have the backing of the New York police commissioner."
Lynch grew up in Bayside, Queens, as the youngest of seven. Both of his sons became police officers.
Lynch’s term ends in June. It’s unclear if he will stay on as a police officer or retire from the department.
Herb Pinder contributed reporting. This story has been updated with additional information.
Tagged
new york city
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public safety
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Matt Katz
Matt Katz is a former WNYC & Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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