New York Times- A police officer who was videotaped knocking a man off his bicycle and onto the ground during a cycling event in Manhattan last summer has been fired, the Police Department said. Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s chief spokesman, said the officer, Patrick Pogan, 23, was fired about 10 days ago.
Stuart London, a lawyer for Mr. Pogan, disputed the Police Department’s statement, saying that he had resigned.
Mr. Pogan was accused last year of assault and of filing false paperwork related to the arrest of the cyclist and was suspended from the department. The Manhattan district attorney’s office dropped the charges — attempted assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct — against the cyclist, Christopher Long. Mr. Browne said on Thursday that the firing stemmed directly from the events involving Mr. Long, which took place on July 25 during a monthly event known as Critical Mass, in which hundreds of cyclists ride through the city to advocate nonpolluting forms of transportation.
The termination was reported by The Associated Press on Thursday night.
Yeah, he resigned. The Brooklyn Bridge is up for sale too. Score one for the citizens.
#20, Jeff,
Then the cop could have stopped him. He didn’t. He just pushed the guy off the bike and started in on him. PLUS, if there was something the cop had seen, then that would have been in the charges. All the charges though stemmed from the assault.
#20. We have already been down that that road. We have the whole story, the cop lied and said he was assaulted. About 500 witnesses and a videotape proves he is a liar. His own people didn’t believe him and they fired him. Don’t be a moran.
Yep. What the cop could have done is; seeing the guy breaking the traffic laws, order him to stop. If he didn’t, THEN bounce him off the pavement.
He was too stupid to figure out this simple sequence.
They should be called Critical Ass.
Sorry but he could have done something off frame and the officer was coming after him.
The office could have been given orders to arrest one of these dumbasses and the cyclist was the lucky one.
A well thrown stick would be more effective.
“Sorry but he could have done something off frame and the officer was coming after him.”
But the cop’s report didn’t say that. Had it, he might have had a case. What he put in the report was that the kid assualted him which was proven to be untrue.
This is a very convoluted issue (not the cop – the video is clear), but biking in NYC; which is dangerous, and death by motorized vehicle, of pedestrian or cyclist, is rarely even ticketed, never mind investigated for possible law breaking. There are white “Ghost Bikes” all over down, marking places where bicyclists have died. Critical Mass’ tactics are controversial, but so is most protesting, by definition. Their disruption of traffic is nothing compared to dozens of other regular ‘events’ in town from UN meetings to 100′s of stupid street fairs.
Far worse than Critical Mass’ disruption is TD Bank’s Five Boro Bike Tour, a Corporate sponsored event that groups 6,ooo bikes together and let them loose all at the same time for a 4 hour tour of the 5 Boroughs, closing streets everywhere for an hour or more at a time. In stark contrast is the much saner Transportation Alternative’s NYC Century Tour which also lets 6,000 bikes loose, but in small groups spread out over a few hours which cause no street closings at all.
#5 – watch the friggin’ video again, with your eyes open this time.
#15 – you wouldn’t last a day as a NYC cop because you’d soil 6 uniforms before lunch out of fear.
NYC has plenty of fine cops who act like real human beings – they just don’t make the news, and I say that have been busted by fascist cops – they are a minority, kinda like level headed responses to blog posts.
I spend 80 minutes a day bike commuting from Manhattan to Queens, but I won’t join Critical Mass rides because I’m chicken shit – afraid of the consequences from rogue cops and morons like a few of the above posters.
I was chased by tanks while protesting war in D.C. 40 years ago, but I’m just a scared old man now trying to dodge infernal combustion engines, some of which attempt to kill me daily while Critical Mass takes the flak for protesting innocent deaths. The car and oil companies have changed the fabric of city life. It’s time the streets become less like the Wild West and safer for humans to trod upon.
thanks for listening,
MIke
sad thing is..had the video never seen the light of day, the cyclist would be the one doing 4yrs..
#6 —resigned??
-so correct me if i’m wrong, but iirc, this means he ‘vested out” -he most like got a severance package and/or a reduced pension package..no?
And if it hadn’t been caught on video, it would have ended as case 999,999,999 (approximately) of a cop getting away with perjury on the stand.
He can apply for a $100K a year job as a police officer in Northern New Jersey. He’ll have an easy job of giving out tickets all day long and harassing anyone and everyone while getting away with it.
#30 -sob..they have me brainwashed too.. i did not even think of that.
1984 doublespeak. fired-resigned etc..
i wonder what the public response would have been had this been on the front page.
proof positive all the media is bought and paid for.
::sigh::
“As happy as I am to see him gone, why did it take so long?”
Unions.
I think government employees should be prohibited from unionizing, particularly when they draw FAT BLOATED PENSIONS.
# 32 Lou Minatti said,
“I think government employees should be prohibited from unionizing, particularly when they draw FAT BLOATED PENSIONS.”
They sure as hell should NOT be allowed to spend millions of dollars on commercials that try to influence ballot measures that increase taxes to pay them more! Civil service should not include a license to steal from the people who pay their salary.
Case study California.
lETS ADD TO THIS.
With Cops using Cameras to control areas, as in Britain..
Why cant the PEOPLE use cameras against COPS.
We have had a few shots at this, and Britain has created a law AGAINST IT..
I say…let’s give the bad cop an exploding desk chair and send shrapnel up his rectum…that would teach him!!
NOT
a.
I don’t understand the rage against cyclists. What’s wrong with you people?
The problem was a cop with roid rage, who not only assaulted a citizen (with battery), but lied on top of that. If he’s going to prison it would not be a bad thing.
#27 Mike D,
You could have made a much shorter post by just saying you’re a poor, hippie coward. 80 minute bike ride? Isn’t that the definition of loser? Here’s a tip to make your life better: commit suicide.
Definitely unnecessary roughness.
But I like the NYT quote says “cycling event” when it is civil disobedience.
Those cited for civil disobedience should receive the maximum sentence allowed, because by definition they are deliberately braking the law and causing damages to others (time and money in this case). BTW I’m an avid cyclist.
Rick Cain said,
“I don’t understand the rage against cyclists. What’s wrong with you people? ”
The rage isn’t against cyclists. Its against Critical Mass.
The members of Critical Mass happen to ride bicycles but that’s about all these a$$holes have in common with normal cyclists.
Rick Cain said,
“I don’t understand the rage against cyclists. What’s wrong with you people? ”
Try living in a neighborhood that is only accessible via a hilly, winding road with 1 passing zone in 8 miles. Dipshit cyclists clog the road every weekend, riding 2 and 3 abreast going 3 mph uphill.
They put my life and my kids lives in jeopard when I come around a curve and find these idiots either in the center of my lane, or another car coming at me head-on while passing these traffic hazards.
If you can’t maintain 20mph in a 45mph zone, you should not be allowed on the road. You are a hazard!