NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- An NYPD officer was suspended without pay Sunday after video surfaced showing "Trump 2020" being blasted from the loudspeaker of a patrol car in Brooklyn.
Hours after announcing an investigation into the incident, the NYPD said the officer had been suspended without pay. "The police officer who is under investigation for using a department vehicle's loudspeaker for political purposes has been suspended, effective immediately," the department tweeted.
The Sergeants Benevolent Association, a police union, reacted to the officer's suspension, writing on Twitter: "The NYPD has a history of officers making political & outside the norm statements & ignoring it. Suspending, this officer is unnecessary & way over the top. Chief of Department took a knee with protestors no disciplinary action was issued. What if the officer supported Biden?"
The NYPD has a history of officers making political & outside the norm statements & ignoring it. Suspending, this officer is unnecessary & way over the top. Chief of Departrnent took a knee with protestors no disciplinary action was issued. What if the officer supported Biden? https://t.co/svklwHo5Ey pic.twitter.com/6TfUO397mO
— SBA (@SBANYPD) October 25, 2020
In video posted Saturday night, an officer can be heard saying: "Trump 2020. Put it on YouTube. Put it on Facebook. Trump 2020. Take a picture. Take a picture. Take a video. Put it on your Facebook. Put it on your YouTube. Have some fun. Tough guy. Tough guy."
How the NYPD rolling up in Black communities these days (on my block): "Trump 2020. Put it on YouTube. Put it on Facebook..."
— Brandon K Hines (@thumpio) October 25, 2020
Aight MFers... it's on TWITTER TOO! BI-DEN! 👋🏿😂#Vote #nypdfinest #bidenharris2020 pic.twitter.com/hmXdY8ivbM
The video was recorded shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday on St. Paul Place in Flatbush, according to the Daily News.
The officer was reportedly responding to a pedestrian who gave him the middle finger because his vehicle was in a crosswalk.
By Sunday morning, de Blasio, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea and the department had responded, saying an investigation was underway.
"Let me be clear: ANY NYPD Officer pushing ANY political agenda while on duty will face consequences. We will act fast here, and this will not be tolerated," de Blasio tweeted.
"One hundred percent unacceptable. Period," Shea wrote on Twitter. "Law Enforcement must remain apolitical, it is essential in our role to serve ALL New Yorkers regardless of any political beliefs. It is essential for New Yorkers to trust their Police."
The NYPD also tweeted that the video was under investigation by the department's Brooklyn South Investigation Squad.
"Police officers must remain apolitical," the NYPD said.
