NYPD detective stripped of badge and gun after vulgar tirade at Uber driver
Officer has been placed on desk duty after video shows xenophobic rant
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The New York City police officer who was recorded during a vulgar tirade directed at an Uber driver has been stripped of his gun and badge, and reassigned to desk duty, according to the New York Post.
Detective Patrick Cherry was reassigned from the NYPD’s Joint Terrorism Task Force after a video taken from the backseat of an Uber car spread on the internet. That video showed Mr Cherry pulling over an Uber driver and unleashing a rant in which the officer made fun of the driver’s accent.
“No good cop should watch that video without a wince,” NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said at a Wednesday press conference. “Because all good cops know that officer just made their jobs a little bit harder.
“In that kind of encounter, anger like that is unacceptable. In any encounter, discourtesy and obscene language like that is unacceptable. That officer’s behaviour reflected poorly on everyone who wears our uniform.”
The incident allegedly began when Mr Cherry was attempting to park his unmarked police car in Greenwich Village, when the Uber driver swerved around him, honked his horn and flipped off the officer, the Post reported. That is when the officer became enraged and pulled over the Uber driver.
The NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau had been investigating the incident, but it has been taking over by the Civilian Complaint Review Board. The CCRB could decide to give Mr Cherry a knock on his record, but reports say Commissioner Bratton is responsible for all disciplinary action.
Follow @PaytonGuion on Twitter.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments