http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gy4NBr-FBpo5zslemFEawPpu488AD90J0T600

NEW YORK (AP) — A white police officer was disciplined for acting "in a discourteous manner" when he confronted a black motorist who turned out to be one of the highest-ranking commanders in the New York City Police Department, an agency spokesman said Saturday.
Chief Douglas Zeigler, the head of the NYPD's Community Affairs Bureau and the highest uniformed black officer on the force, was off duty and sitting in his department-issued sport utility vehicle on a street in the borough of Queens on May 2 when two white police officers approached.
The encounter turned testy, and one of the officers tried to wrest open Zeigler's door, even after the three-star chief had identified himself, police spokesman Paul Browne said.

"He dealt with the chief in a discourteous manner, which is unacceptable," Browne said.
He did not provide details of why the officers decided to question Zeigler. The New York Daily News reported Saturday that Zeigler was parked near a fire hydrant and that one of the plainclothed officers spotted Zeigler's service weapon inside the vehicle. Browne said he could not confirm whether the officers saw a gun.

He did not specify what discipline was taken by the department. The News said the officer was stripped of his gun and badge and placed on modified duty Friday.

The incident was reported as police are being criticized for stopping and frisking record numbers of pedestrians — about 145,000 in the first quarter of this year. The majority were black or Hispanic.
Zeigler has headed the Community Affairs Bureau since January 2006. His wife, Neldra Zeigler, is the NYPD's deputy commissioner for equal employment opportunity.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has been leading demonstrations in the city to protest the acquittal of three police officers in the shooting death of an unarmed man as he left his bachelor party, took note of the Zeigler incident while speaking at his weekly rally in Harlem.
"You can't make this stuff up!" he said. "The problem isn't that they didn't recognize him. It is that they don't recognize our rights!"

Also, a New York man has filed a lawsuit claiming that he was taunted and falsely arrested by police officers after they learned that he had the same name as a West African immigrant shot to death by other officers in 1999.
Amadou Diallo said a group of officers confronted him over a broken headlight in February, then searched his vehicle for weapons.
Once the officers learned his name, it became "a source of much amusement, laughing and inappropriate joking amongst the officers, with crude and disgusting comments," Diallo's lawyer said in the suit.

Amadou Diallo was also the name of an unarmed immigrant killed in 1999 when four plainclothed officers, apparently mistakenly thinking he was reaching for a gun, fired 41 rounds in the doorway of a Bronx apartment building. The officers in that case were also acquitted of criminal charges

When are people going to understand this is very intimidating and humilating to the avg good citizen. This has to change.

Chief Douglas Zeigler, the head of the NYPD's Community Affairs Bureau .

[Edited by - playa2 on 12-05-2008 20:29]

That chief better watch his back now, he just exposed his own code blue guys.

I bet he will get razzed by some on the force.

Is the skin color the only reason why blacks get harrassed the guy was doing nothing wrong, i can imagine what happens to younger men who wear hip hop gear ?

Are we back in the 60's ?

Posted by playa2:

That chief better watch his back now, he just exposed his own code blue guys.

I bet he will get razzed by some on the force.

Is the skin color the only reason why blacks get harrassed the guy was doing nothing wrong, i can imagine what happens to younger men who wear hip hop gear ?

Are we back in the 60's ?

Um, what makes you think that skin color had anything to do with this? You do realize that in a department vehichle with 93% tinits you cant see whose inside. Is what your saying is that after they stopped thae car and Ziegler rolled the windows down the stop suddenly became racist? Or is anytime a cop stops a person of color is that racist?


[Edited by - izybx on 14-05-2008 05:17 AM]

Posted by TMS:

Posted by izybx:

Posted by playa2:

That chief better watch his back now, he just exposed his own code blue guys.

I bet he will get razzed by some on the force.

Is the skin color the only reason why blacks get harrassed the guy was doing nothing wrong, i can imagine what happens to younger men who wear hip hop gear ?

Are we back in the 60's ?

Um, what makes you think that skin color had anything to do with this? You do realize that in a department vehichle with 93% tinits you can see whose inside. Is what your saying is that after they stopped thae car and Ziegler rolled the windows down the stop suddenly became racist? Or is anytime a cop stops a person of color is that racist?

i think the worst part of the article is that it says after the Commander had identified himself as a member of the force, he was still treated "discourteously" by the officer in question (whatever that means)... whether the guy got patted down, harassed or whatever, u'd figure a lower ranking officer would have simply checked the guy's credentials & let him be on his way after that happened, no?... wouldn't that be normal procedure for a fellow officer? i dunno since i'm not in the force (& don't wanna offend u if ur on the job either) but man, when ur a minority in the big city you come across some really douchebag cops that pull a major power trip on your ass & talk to you like you're a second class citizen sometimes... the arrogance & attitude of some of these guys is unbelievable... i have tremendous respect for the job they do but some of em gotta get off their imaginary high horses for real... of course i've come across some really chill cops too in my time... i guess it's true for any job field... there's just douchebags working all over.

Exactly, there are doushebags on the job. No doubt about it, just like every single one of us has a dickhead co worker or boss. Im willing to bet you that people of every race has come across ******* cops. I know when I go to the DMV the people there are *******s without exception. Racism? Once I ordered chinese food and the lady was extremely rude. Racism? My drill sergeant in the army was a Jerk, as was a squad leader that I had in 2001. Racism? Ive heard rumors about this incident that range from the cop throwing the chiefs ID on the floor to the chief shoving the cop when the cop reached for his ID. Im willing to bet that trurh is somewhere in the middle. In reality, both of the parties violated NYPD procedures because the patrol supervisor wasnt called to the scene. What I do have a problem is some people who are absolutly obsessed with the concept of race. Heres the truth fellas, most people dont care about the color of your skin. So get over it. If you walk, talk, and act like an *******, youre probably going to get treated like one. White, black, or puerto rican.

This thread is hilarious!