NYPD Confuses Corruption With Courtesy

Apparently, the New York Police Department (NYPD) has some big fans of Monopoly. Maybe not the whole game, but they sure are fans of the “Get Out Of Jail Free Card.”

The only difference is that the NYPD calls them courtesy cards. These little gems are handed out by the police unions so that the officers can give them to friends and family. Then, if any of them are involved in a traffic stop, they get off with a warning.

However, one officer, Mathew Bianchi, refused to accept this as ethical. He sees it for what it is: a way to skirt the law because you happen to know a cop.

“It’s a form of corruption. My approach to how I handle them is not going to change, even if some boss is going to try to punish me. I’m still going to go out there, and I’m going to do exactly what I feel is right.”

Bianchi’s problems began when he pulled over a friend of Chief Jeffrey Maddrey, the highest-ranking uniformed officer on the force. After he refused to honor the card, Bianchi claims he was demoted to night patrol.

He sued the Department and settled for $175,000, a quiet ending for the force so there would be no discovery procedures that could jeopardize the program.

Nicholas Paolucci, a law department spokesperson, wrote in an email:

“Resolving this case was best for all parties.”

Bianchi has a different opinion. His career has essentially been destroyed since that traffic stop took place.

“I’ve literally applied for just about everything since I’ve been demoted, and they’ve denied me for everything. They’re not very secretive as to why, and I’ve had supervisors tell me why I can’t go anywhere. I’m glad I didn’t take the punishment and the retaliation lying down. I’m glad that I did something.”

The corruption doesn’t stop with the handing out of these cards; some officers have generated another income stream by selling them on eBay. Leave it to New York to try and turn reality into a board game.

These cards are illegal, and the program needs to be disbanded. New York is becoming infamous not for improving things but for devising new ways to seed corruption.

The NYPD can start by getting Mathew Bianchi’s career back on track. $175,00 is nice, but much more needs to be done to make him whole again. These men and women give their lives to uphold the law; it’s criminal to punish one of your own for doing just that.