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Four NYPD cops punished for tossing around football with young boy at Bronx housing project


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Four cops punished for tossing around football with young boy at Bronx housing project

 

BY John Marzulli

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

 

Monday, September 19th 2011

 

"Even before the NYPD was embroiled in a dustup over dirty dancing, four cops got caught up in a Fourth of July football-throwing fiasco, the Daily News has learned.

 

Two of the officers are fighting the discipline raps they received for tossing around a football with a young boy at a Bronx housing project - charging oversensitivity from police brass jeopardizes community relations.

 

"I don't think throwing a football to a 7-year-old boy is misconduct," said Officer Catherine Guzman, a 17-year veteran of the force. "It was the Fourth of July, it was 96 degrees out and we were interacting with the community.

 

"Everybody was happy," she added.

 

That is, everybody except Deputy Chief James McNamara, the commanding officer of the Bronx Housing Bureau. He witnessed the football tossing and gave the cops a dressing-down worthy of Vince Lombardi.

 

"He was irate and berated us in front of everyone," Guzman recalled. "He said, 'What are you doing? Do you realize you are on overtime?'"

 

News of the football caper comes on the heels of controversy over cops videotaped dancing and gyrating during the annual West Indian American Day Carnival Parade. Police officials are reviewing the tape of the Labor Day weekend incident, which shows cops happily grinding their hips into the backsides of scantily clad dancers at the Brooklyn parade.

 

The four officers involved in the 2010 football-throwing incident at the Webster Houses were slapped with command disciplines, and two accepted a penalty of two vacation days.

 

But Guzman and Officer Mariana Diaz are appealing the ruling and taking their case to the department trial room.

 

Both face significantly stiffer penalties if they are found guilty of charges that they "did fail and neglect to remain alert, to wit: throwing and catching a football with three uniformed members of service...while maintaining a foot post."

 

Their lawyer, Eric Sanders, said the NYPD needs to rethink its definition of community policing.

 

"I think the Police Department prefers its officers to be an occupying force rather than interacting with the community it serves," Sanders said.

 

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne did not respond to a request for comment.

 

Diaz said she's taking a stand on principle.

 

"There's a lot of negativity toward police," she said. "I want kids in the community to look at us in a positive way."

 

 

 

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/09/19/2011-09-19_cops_fight_penalty_for_game_of_catch.html

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I agree w/the cops... I mean if they just tossed a football around for a few minutes, I don't see the harm. If they engaged in an all out football game while on duty then that's another story. I don't think that dancing scene was appropriate though. It wasn't so much the dancing as it was the grinding going on that was rather disgusting and for that they should be suspended for a few days or given a stern warning, but this incident should be tossed out.

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100% agree with the cops. Their job is to maintain law and order, and be ready to act if law and order suddenly are overtaken by chaos and illegal acts.

 

If things are peaceful and there is law and order, good community relations are important. Too many people out there "hate cops" for no real reason whatsoever, and a stone faced officer is not going to help that image (think British redcoats during the Revolution!) Let them throw the damn football. Now if a purse got snatched behind them and they didn't notice, different story. But it didn't so let it go.

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I agree w/the cops... I mean if they just tossed a football around for a few minutes, I don't see the harm. If they engaged in an all out football game while on duty then that's another story. I don't think that dancing scene was appropriate though. It wasn't so much the dancing as it was the grinding going on that was rather disgusting and for that they should be suspended for a few days or given a stern warning, but this incident should be tossed out.

 

Actually it's good this story became public. I agree 100% Garibaldi with your above statement. With the cops dancing at the recent West Indian Day parade from what i read, the cops deserve at least a stern warning for not so much dancing but for doing the 'forbidden dance' that you see at strip clubs.

 

 

And with the cops playing football for a few moments with the kid, i rather that them wasting their shift at Dunkin Donuts or worse. Not to mention improving the relations in the 'community' which especially in the poorer and neighborhoods with high number of residents of 'people of color' it a small step in buliding 'trust.'

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Actually it's good this story became public. I agree 100% Garibaldi with your above statement. With the cops dancing at the recent West Indian Day parade from what i read, the cops deserve at least a stern warning for not so much dancing but for doing the 'forbidden dance' that you see at strip clubs.

 

 

And with the cops playing football for a few moments with the kid, i rather that them wasting their shift at Dunkin Donuts or worse. Not to mention improving the relations in the 'community' which especially in the poorer and neighborhoods with high number of residents of 'people of color' it a small step in buliding 'trust.'

 

LOL.... I'm curious as to why you put "trust" in quotes?? :confused:

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Throwing a football is not in duties of what a cop is suppose to be doing; the cops WERE ON THE JOB; Protect & Serve not Serve & Play. You cant justify cops throwing a football for a couple mins as being a good deed or whatever. I agree with the suspension.

 

Game or not the cops had no business doing it while in uniform plain and simple.

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Throwing a football is not in duties of what a cop is suppose to be doing; the cops WERE ON THE JOB; Protect & Serve not Serve & Play. You cant justify cops throwing a football for a couple mins as being a good deed or whatever. I agree with the suspension.

 

Game or not the cops had no business doing it while in uniform plain and simple.

 

Oh come on now... And what B/Os never do anything while on the job? LOL I already know the answer to that. B) LOL

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I go on Facebook, and on these forums while I am at work. My boss doesn't really care. We all do it while we work. It's the truth. You can't stop it. Come on I mean being a bus driver. I bet you do tons of things while you are driving. For example disobeying the speed limit. I bet some of you drivers do that.

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I go on Facebook, and on these forums while I am at work. My boss doesn't really care. We all do it while we work. It's the truth. You can't stop it. Come on I mean being a bus driver. I bet you do tons of things while you are driving. For example disobeying the speed limit. I bet some of you drivers do that.

 

Same thing here... I actually use Facebook and such for marketing purposes anyway, so I have to be on there and basically my boss doesn't care. I mean I have to work whenever I have to to complete projects. Today I just got a project that is about $50,000 and that means I'll more than likely be working some long days for the next few months once this starts, so I mean if I have to work more than 8 hours a day then there has to be some flexibility. My boss takes this into consideration and also since I don't take that many days off, if I need to take a long lunch I'll just let her know and that's it.

 

Quite frankly it makes me more productive because I come to work happier and such.

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My job is not to protect & serve. I drive people to point a & b.

 

Yeah yeah yeah... No one is on the 24/7 and you and I know that. Besides like Shortline said, if anything this can perhaps help in improving relations w/the community. I think it's better to see them tossing a football with a minority than shooting one.

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Yeah yeah yeah... No one is on the 24/7 and you and I know that. Besides like Shortline said, if anything this can perhaps help in improving relations w/the community. I think it's better to see them tossing a football with a minority than shooting one.

 

This aint going to improve nothing. The minorities are still going to shooting and killing each other reguardless and the cops will still be shooting and beating them up. The cops got what they deserve and im glad something was done about it.

 

If I had a chick on my bus and was caught I would simply just take it and move on.

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This aint going to improve nothing. The minorities are still going to shooting and killing each other reguardless and the cops will still be shooting and beating them up. The cops got what they deserve and im glad something was done about it.

 

If I had a chick on my bus and was caught I would simply just take it and move on.

 

lol... Well I give them credit for the effort I guess... I do have to agree with you. I mean the city thinks that just because they put a mixed group of officers into these communities that that will quash race relations and that just isn't true. I assume that they don't think that racism and prejudice can't exist amongst minorities, but that isn't any further from the truth. In fact it's just as bad as it would be w/any white police officers. There is still this "us" versus "them" mentality which isn't said or spoken but the vibes say everything and until that changes, I don't see much changing either.

 

During my college days, I needed some quick cash when I came down to the city before moving to Italy and did some security work inside of banks mainly and I was working in Williamsburg during the overnight hours and I have to say that the cops looked out for me. They would stroll down Havemeyer St over by Broadway to see if I was okay if I was outside. I had this older Italian-American paesan who had some connections and he would have the guys make sure that I was safe. Of course I carried my own stuff with me just in case some whacko tried to f*ck with me. I had a few incidents, but overall it was okay for the time I was there. My presence in terms of height and such helped as well. Even had some of the Latinos in the neighborhood that would watch out for me and a few folks would tip me from time to time to watch their car and such. lol :cool:

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This aint going to improve nothing. The minorities are still going to shooting and killing each other reguardless and the cops will still be shooting and beating them up. The cops got what they deserve and im glad something was done about it.

 

If I had a chick on my bus and was caught I would simply just take it and move on.

 

 

553 not sure you read the full article. If the cops was playing ball for hours then of course they deserve to be suspended. Also what happened at the recent West Indian parade in Brooklyn, with the dancing cops lol, they were off base and deserve a warning or a short suspension.

According to the article they were throwing the football with the kid for a short few minutes, which IMO is a huge difference.

 

Up in my neck of the woods in the early morning i.e 4-5am i sometimes see NY state troopers and local police, probably in uniform hanging out at Denny's or Dunkin Donuts 'on duty' but eating donuts and eating meals at Denny's. Not to mention i am sure officers on say the overnight shift sleep at station houses or in their cars on duty. That far worse than what the cops in the Bronx did playing ball for a few minutes. At worst this NYPD commander could have handle this quietly and assuming the cops had a good record, then just a friendly warning to not to play with the ball again.

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I agree... let them throw the football... I'm not even villifying them for that simple action...

 

However, I also agree... fine and/or suspend them for throwin the football while on duty... while on OT at that....

 

Cops aint allowing me, the citizen, no double standards.... why should they get a pass? Because they're cops?.... To me, those cops gettin their freak on during the labor day parade, and this occurrence w/ these 2 cops w/ this football throwing or w/e, is no different....

 

....and no, I don't "hate cops" just on the simple fact that I'm black & that's how a lot of young black boys (especially) are taught/told to do....

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553 not sure you read the full article. If the cops was playing ball for hours then of course they deserve to be suspended. Also what happened at the recent West Indian parade in Brooklyn, with the dancing cops lol, they were off base and deserve a warning or a short suspension.

According to the article they were throwing the football with the kid for a short few minutes, which IMO is a huge difference.

 

Up in my neck of the woods in the early morning i.e 4-5am i sometimes see NY state troopers and local police, probably in uniform hanging out at Denny's or Dunkin Donuts 'on duty' but eating donuts and eating meals at Denny's. Not to mention i am sure officers on say the overnight shift sleep at station houses or in their cars on duty. That far worse than what the cops in the Bronx did playing ball for a few minutes. At worst this NYPD commander could have handle this quietly and assuming the cops had a good record, then just a friendly warning to not to play with the ball again.

 

Sounds to me like your trying to justify a good reason why the cops were playing catch. If you dont get caught cool. If I bring chicks on my bus and have sex with them and dont get caught then cool but if I do it another time and get caught then shame on me. Same with these cops they were caught and they have to deal with the outcome. They were in uniform...UNIFORM. They had no business playing catch for a few short mins. And dont bring that West Indian Parade in this. If you do something and dont get caught you will do it again and again then when you get caught that all changes

 

How are cops are Denny's probably in uniform? They are either in uniform or not.

 

If i do something stupid on the job my ass is in the street for days or weeks.

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Maybe a higher-up in the NYPD will realize that this could become a piece of positive news if they transfer these cops to the community affairs bureau to improve relations. Plus they would get to wear those cool NYPD polo shirts. Win win. But I just don't see that happening. The emphasis on community relations has gone down in the last few years.

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Banging some skank on your bus isn't comparable to what happened here. I guess you have no idea what "community policing" involves and how it improves the relations between the police that those they police.

 

Guess I dont huh lol. But if you needed a cop and they were out playing catch instead, i bet you'd be saying different.

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Guess I dont huh lol. But if you needed a cop and they were out playing catch instead, i bet you'd be saying different.

 

You know they can still be raised on the radio, right?

 

I can sort of see why some of you wouldn't like the idea of cops doing a little something in the community ... you know, god forbid those kids don't turn into killers one day!

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My Uncle is a cop....I know what your saying, do you really think im that stupid? Probably so but idc. I come from a family that are lawyers mostly and a few cops.

 

CA is not going to change one simple fact, that people in the "Hood" "Projects"(which ever term you want to use) are raised to hate the cop and white man because they take their freedom(which is just sad that they would even teach their kids that) and everything away from them. CA is going to do nothing. All it is a cycle. Yes it may reach a few people who will snitch then weeks or months later that same person is shot dead because the cops wanted a favor. They been trying to do that CA crap down here in Jersey ever since I moved here and nothing has changed. The drugs will still be sold, blacks will still be killing each other and they will still hate the cops.

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My Uncle is a cop....I know what your saying, do you really think im that stupid? Probably so but idc. I come from a family that are lawyers mostly and a few cops.

 

CA is not going to change one simple fact, that people in the "Hood" "Projects"(which ever term you want to use) are raised to hate the cop and white man because they take their freedom(which is just sad that they would even teach their kids that) and everything away from them. CA is going to do nothing. All it is a cycle. Yes it may reach a few people who will snitch then weeks or months later that same person is shot dead because the cops wanted a favor. They been trying to do that CA crap down here in Jersey ever since I moved here and nothing has changed. The drugs will still be sold, blacks will still be killing each other and they will still hate the cops.

 

Your making a blanket statement that EVERY person from the PJs hates cops and white people, do you know that for certain that EVERY person hates cops and whites? Unless you do, your making a dangerous generalization. How do you know that by stopping and tossing a ball around with a kid for 5 minutes and maybe developing a relationship with a small group of kids, that those actions may not change his thoughts on the police or white people? You can't know. I think that for the most part it won't make a difference to the whole, but what if it changes that kids point of view.

 

Also, unless those cops were dogging calls, what difference does it make since for the most part housing cops patrol the PJs by walking around. It's not like there response time would be any less then if they kept walking.

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CA is not going to change one simple fact, that people in the "Hood" "Projects"(which ever term you want to use) are raised to hate the cop and white man because they take their freedom(which is just sad that they would even teach their kids that) and everything away from them. CA is going to do nothing. All it is a cycle. Yes it may reach a few people who will snitch then weeks or months later that same person is shot dead because the cops wanted a favor. They been trying to do that CA crap down here in Jersey ever since I moved here and nothing has changed. The drugs will still be sold, blacks will still be killing each other and they will still hate the cops.

 

You're generalizations are completely false and I suggest you watch what you say. Me along with several board members are from the PJs and we are citizens not hoodlums. We were raised to appreciate what cops do and some former PJ tenants eventually grew up to become law enforcement officers.

 

We all know that the PJs are notorious for what occurs inside the buildings, but the MAJORITY of the people are NOT raised like that. That's the equivalent of saying all Muslims are terrorists, which is a false statement. You don't live in the PJs, so you don't have an accurate say, so I suggest you start watching what you say because you're generalizations are not only offensive to me, but to decent members of the community as well.

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