NYPD Officer Suspeneded For Yelling ‘Trump 2020’ Over Patrol Car Loudspeaker

An NYPD officer has been suspended and is now under investigation after a video surfaced on social media of a cop yelling “Trump 2020” through the loudspeaker of a patrol car.

Talia Jane, a freelance reporter, tweeted the video on social media Saturday night. In the video, a citizen (not Jane) walks up to a cop car and asks the cop to “Do it again.” The cop does not say anything, but the citizen begins to taunt the cop, effectively baiting him. The cop responds saying, “Trump 2020, after which the man calls the cop a fascist amidst a stream of curses.

https://twitter.com/itsa_talia/status/1320197887071051776

The video quickly went viral. Calls began for NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to respond. Both men did Sunday morning. De Blasio said on Twitter that “We will act fast here, and this will not be tolerated.”

Commissioner Shea called the incident “One hundred percent unacceptable. Period,” adding that updates will follow an investigation.

The NYPD Patrol Guide states officers on duty are prohibited from “endorsing political candidates or publicly expressing personal views and opinions concerning the merits of: any political party or candidate for public office; any public policy matter or legislation pending before any government body; or any matter to be decided by a pubic election, except with the permission of the police commissioner.”

https://twitter.com/SBANYPD/status/1320471223177019393

In July, city lawmakers cut $1 billion from the NYPD budget. $400 million was earmarked for summer youth programs, education, and family and social services. Another $500 million will be shifted toward youth recreation centers while $87 million will be used to expand broadband in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) houses

The NYPD’s Police Academy class next month of more than 1,100 recruits has been canceled, saving $85.6 million, although a new class of 900 was announced last week.