
NYPD Suspends Officer for Blaring "Trump 2020" on Loudspeaker While On-Duty
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The NYPD moved swiftly to suspend a Brooklyn officer who was caught on video using a police car's loudspeaker to blare "Trump 2020" while on patrol.
According to ABC7, the officer was spotted parked on a corner in the Flatbush section of South Brooklyn on the first day of early voting in the borough. An investigation was launched after a video of the incident was posted early this morning (see below.) The clip has since gone viral, showing, from multiple angles, the officer proudly brandishing his political endorsement over his van's bullhorn and teasing a passerby to "take a picture, take video," before suggesting they "have some fun with it." The officer then called the pedestrian a "tough guy" as they walked off.
\u201cPolice officer in Brooklyn uses a loudspeaker to say "Trump 2020" while on the job\u201d— Fifty Shades of Whey (@Fifty Shades of Whey) 1603609544
As it began making the rounds on Sunday, the NYPD addressed the video in a tweet, announcing a probe into the conduct. And on Sunday afternoon, the police department revealed the officer had been suspended without pay. "When you wear our uniform it is imperative to remain apolitical," said Chief of Department Terence Monahan on Twitter. "Behavior like this will not be tolerated and will be dealt with, Monahan added. Those sentiments were echoed by NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio. "Let me be clear: ANY NYPD Officer pushing ANY political agenda while on duty will face consequences," the mayor wrote in a tweet on Sunday morning.
The clip is just the latest of the city's police escalating tensions as early voting commences across the boroughs. Another video that circulated on Saturday shows officers confiscating a table and materials from outside of a voting site in Red Hook where activists were distributing PPE and fliers to voters. The department's responded to that video by claiming the activists refused to comply with election rules after being repeatedly asked to relocate their table to a suitable area.