13 Questions With: NYPD Officers

Perspectives From Inside The NYPD

I'm a person who likes hearing a diversity of opinions and perspectives, of course

I'm a person who likes being inclusive, of course

I'm a person who likes conversation, of course

Maybe you're like me

Or maybe you're not

Only you can know that for sure

Luckily for me

I live in Brooklyn

So there's no shortage of opinions or perspectives

I see them on bikes

On streets

On the news

In windows

In parks

And even in the sky!

Citizens voicing their opinions

No matter what they may be

I love it

I noticed something recently though

I realized I was seeing opinions that were pro-police

And opinions that were anti-police

But I wasn't seeing any opinions that were actual police

This seemed strange

Considering the police are seemingly such a hot topic at the moment

Now remember

I like conversation and inclusivity

And there seems to be a conversation going on

So in the spirit of diversity and inclusion

I did some digging in order to try and speak to some police officers

Through my efforts

I was able to source two from inside the NYPD and ask them some questions

They agreed to speak with me on a condition of anonymity

Here is what they said:

NYPD Officer 1

HB: Are you an active duty officer? NYPD 1: Yes

HB: How long have you been an officer? NYPD 1: 5 years

HB: What is morale like at your precinct right now? NYPD 1: Morale is good, believe it or not. Most cops support some parts of the protesters. BLM. Yes. Peacefully sure. Problem is conflicting leadership. We still get many people saying thank you and that support us. Mind you, in a predominantly black neighborhood.

HB: How do you feel police officers are being treated at the moment? NYPD 1: I think there is too much emotion involved. Too much political charges such as the shooting in ATL. Everyone agrees with the charges against the murder of George Floyd. I haven't met 1 cop that thought it was remotely justified.

HB: Do you support the mayor? Why/why not? NYPD 1: Everyone hates him for many different reasons. Me personally. Anyone who holds 0 accountability to criminals and shies away from quality of life matters gets a big no from me.

HB: Do you believe the mayor supports you? Why/why not? NYPD 1: Absolutely not. Because he wants to defund us, which I think is the wrong approach. We need either more funding for training, or reallocate resources.

HB: Do you think the NYPD is overfunded, underfunded, or correctly funded?

NYPD 1: You know... I truly honestly believe we were correctly funded. The problem is where those funds are going. There aren't even enough tasers for everyone in the precinct. Too many useless units. Or at least I think they're useless or can be filled with civilians. All cops I know want more training. But the lack of personnel prevents it. We would need to hire more cops to be on the street.

HB: Are more complaints going unanswered right now? If so, why? NYPD 1: No. Failure to take police action is a pretty big deal. At least from what I have seen.

HB: What is the hardest part of your job? NYPD 1: Dealing with ignorance. People unwilling to see someone else's view. Whether it's a suspect or a very gung-ho cop.

HB: What is one change you think the NYPD could make that would have a positive impact overall for the city? NYPD 1: A LONGER ACADEMY. AT LEAST 1 YEAR LONG.

HB: There are tons of fireworks going off in the city lately. Any idea what that's about? NYPD 1: It's close to 4 of July so people are celebrating. If people don't want police to enforce it we won't risk bodily harm to do it. We'll scare them away with our shiny lights. Why risk fighting someone over fireworks and possibly being arrested over it. Either it's harmless and not enforceable, or it is. If there's a middle ground tell me what it is.

HB: Would you participate in a police strike ('blue flu')?

NYPD 1: If I believed a cop was wronged, and arrested, for following protocol and the law. Then yes. I would.

HB: What do you want people to know about what it's like being in the NYPD right now? NYPD 1: People need to take ride alongs. Come and join us. Preferably on Friday nights and Saturday nights. Look at how calls come in and how they are shown to us on the radio, on the screen, followed by how people then treat us on scene.

NYPD Officer 2

HB: Are you an active duty officer?

NYPD 2: Yes

HB: How long have been an officer?

NYPD 2: 4 years

HB: What is morale like at your precinct right now?

NYPD 2: The same as it has been the last 4 years. Morale here has always been awful, we have high turnover and bosses that will stab anyone in the back to get half a step ahead for themselves.

HB: How do you feel police officers are being treated at the moment?

NYPD 2: Not great. I try to understand the feelings and anger on both sides as best I can. But I never want to see riots or cops being charged or fired by civilian gov't leaders who get caught up in the moment and don’t bother to examine any evidence or policy/procedure.

HB: Do you support the mayor? Why/why not?

NYPD 2: I do not. He panders to both sides for his own political gain and takes money from any company that he can help. Beyond corrupt.

HB: Do you believe the mayor supports you? Why/why not?

NYPD 2: No. He has been trying to dissolve our agency since 2019. He sees our management as incompetent (true) and thinks that the state troopers can take over for us.

HB: Do you think your PD is overfunded, underfunded, or correctly funded?

NYPD 2: Underfunded. We are driving cars with over 200k miles, have a 50% attrition rate for officers in their first 3 years and can’t even fill the staffing shortages with OT because we are already over the OT budget for the year.

HB: Are more complaints going unanswered right now? If so, why?

NYPD 2: No. At least not in my zone.

HB: What is the hardest part of your job?

NYPD 2: Dealing with the brass.

HB: What is one change you think your PD could make that would have a positive impact overall for the city or community in which you are located?

NYPD 2: None. We have a good relationship with the community.

HB: Have you noticed an uptick in crime or complaints recently?

NYPD 2: No.

HB: Would you participate in a police strike ('blue flu')?

NYPD 2: Yes.

HB: What do you want people to know about what it's like being in the NYPD right now?

NYPD 2: We aren’t the bad guys. If you want to see change then vote different politicians into office. Or better yet, come work side by side with us, promote these changes from within and become a boss to initiate these changes.

There you go

13 questions with two active NYPD officers

Their views are theirs

Your views are yours

And my views are mine

I'm not here to take a stance

I'm not here to make a statement

I'm here to promote conversation and inclusivity

Because at the end of the day

I'm just a person who likes learning

I'm just a person who likes being open-minded

And I'm just a person who wants to keep improving every single day

Maybe you're like me

Or maybe you're not

Only you can know that for sure

Read other great interviews in the 'Questions With' series

- Harry W. Brodsky

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