The fix is in and don't blame us, says New York police union

Aman Ali Reuters 04/20/2011 19:14

Ever since traffic tickets were invented, police officers have been asked to make them disappear for family, politicians and celebrities, a top police union chief said on Wednesday.

Edward Mullins, the president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, said it's just a fact of police life and should not be the focus of an ongoing criminal investigation of as many as 400 cops accused of waiving tickets.

To prove his point, Mullins urged his members to reveal and potentially embarrass the big names who have sought a ticket fix.

A "Wanted" poster on the union website urges police to reveal any requests for "police courtesies," especially from "high-ranking police officials, elected officials, members of the judiciary, the medical profession or any other persons of notoriety."

Mullins, a cop for over 30 years, said it's unfair to target these officers because it is not uncommon for police to get calls from their bosses instructing them to waive tickets for people.

"These phone calls are as much within the culture of the department as arresting criminals," Mullins said in an audio recording released on Wednesday.

"If the culture needs to be changed, then change it. But to criminalize these actions and demonize so many hard working officers is dehumanizing, demeaning and downright wrong."

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