The NYPD’S second-in-command Thursday defended its disciplinary process for officers — and Mayor de Blasio agreed with that assessment.
One activist group, Communities United for Police Reform, said both are wrong.
The response was to a question about a Daily News report about police misconduct.
The first of the four-part series revealed disciplinary cases — some that highlight the contention that justice is meted out with disparities in punishment — and took a close look at how a top chief seemingly benefited from his rank to avoid a harsher penalty.
Thursday’s story told the sordid tale of a now-retired lieutenant who pocketed nearly $15,000 for hours never worked — misconduct that came to light in a probe that was cut short by NYPD brass, according to police sources.
The mayor said he’s confident that during his administration the NYPD has had a “consistent approach to ensuring that there’s real disciplinary action when an officer does something wrong.”
“Do I have confidence that Commissioner (James) O’Neill metes out discipline in a way he believes is consistent?” he asked.
“Absolutely.”
First Deputy Police Commissioner Benjamin Tucker, who appeared with the mayor at a Brooklyn press conference and who oversees the NYPD’s disciplinary process, said the penalties for misconduct are fair.
“They know that they’re going to get a fair shake,’’ Tucker said. “They understand that no one is going to be sent to the hinterlands and never eligible for promotions, or whatever, depending on, obviously, the nature of and the seriousness of the conduct in which they’ve been engaged. ”
But Communities United called the disciplinary system “dysfunctional.”
“There’s more interest in protecting officers guilty of serious misconduct,’’ said spokeswoman Carolyn Martinez-Class, “and the end result is an undermining of public safety and trust.”