New York Officer Uses Homophobic Slur Over Police Car Speaker
Viral video appears to show an officer in the seat of a marked police car after a voice says "suck my d**k, f****t."
The New York Police Department is investigating an incident in which an officer used a homophobic slur over a police car loudspeaker system.
A video shared to Instagram by user @skymilezz on October 26 appears to show an officer in the passenger seat of a marked police car after a voice says “suck my d**k, f****t.”
No one else is seen in the video, which is captioned, “What did he just say?!”
The video went viral on social media, amassing more than 100,000 likes.
It appears to show the police car stopped at a red light at East 106th Street near Lexington Avenue, in New York City’s East Harlem neighborhood. The NYPD now says it is conducting an “internal review” of the incident.
“The Department does not tolerate discrimination in any form and is committed to respectful work environments for our diverse workforce,” an NYPD spokesperson said in a statement. “The incident is under internal review.”
The Gay Officers Action League (GOAL) condemned the incident, calling it “reprehensible” and “a severe violation of the trust and expectations we have for our fellow law enforcement professionals.”
“This incident reminds us of the ongoing prejudices that persist within our society, and the ease with which some resort to hate speech,” GOAL, a nonprofit advocacy group for LGBTQ officers in the NYPD’s ranks, said in a statement. “We refuse to remain silent. We are committed to ensuring that all LGBTQIA+ individuals, both within or outside the law enforcement community, are treated with respect and dignity.”
GOAL acknowledged the ongoing investigation into the officer’s use of the slur and promised to monitor the situation.
“We expect the results of that investigation to lead to appropriate disciplinary action in line with the NYPD’s professional standards,” GOAL added.
GOAL President Brian Downey, an NYPD detective, told NBC News that the NYPD has been investigating the incident ever since the video of the officer was posted online.
Downey added that he has since spoken with Police Commissioner Edward Cuban, Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, and other department leaders about the incident, saying officials “understand how we feel.”
“They didn’t waste any time, which is good,” Downey said. “I understand there’s certain things in a disciplinary process or an investigation that you can’t comment on, and that’s for good reason, but we’re watching.”
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