Gothamist: ESU Cop Worried He "Disgraced His Family"

jnguy

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:53:33 -0500

@dgandolfo I wonder if you know that you come off as a douche bag. The cop felt so bad about what he did that he thought it was better to end his life. He didn't want to disgrace and shame his family, and put them through this entire ordeal. There are far worse cops out there.

resa

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:28:10 -0500

Wow, I don't care much for cops in general (I like some of them as individuals) but some of you people are sick to be happy about any part of this double tragedy.

jaycjay

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:23:38 -0500

"NYPD has been taking down bad guys and mentally unstable folks for years and years and years without the tazers." ESU cops, in fact, have carried tasers since 1984.

The Edge

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:23:18 -0500

Ah, internet toughguys. So fascinating.

The Man Bat

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:51:07 -0500

Just take away all the frickin tazers. NYPD has been taking down bad guys and mentally unstable folks for years and years and years without the tazers. Man up NYPD!!

jaycjay

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:31:01 -0500

"FWIW, *if* they had waited for the airbag, and he was tased and fell the same way, he would have broken his neck and died anyway" And it still would have been a violation of Department policy, which says a taser shouldn't be used on someone in an elevated position. The reason to get the airbag in this situation was because the subject might have jumped or fallen, not because it would have made using a taser an option. "NYPD and Sayville police officers were stationed outside" There are no "Sayville police officers." That would likely have been Suffolk County PD.

kearnj

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:19:35 -0500

still...unspeakably terrible.

ANGRYGOD11

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:32:00 -0500

I count 2 funerals and a lot of devastated people

JacqueMehoff

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:27:28 -0500

you mean his Union didn't tell him that he'll get off with no jail time and just a slap on the wrist? and he can transfer to the FDNY if he lost his job. didn't his nypd brothers tell him anything? I salute you Lt. Pigott, you did the right honorable thing.

drewo

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:55:05 -0500

It's very sad that Pigott's father is the only one speaking out. Meanwhile Kelly and Bloomberg spit up the usual cliched responses, before retreating to their weekend homes. The NYPD's preparation and procedures, or lack thereof, are to blame for the tragic and unnecessary deaths of two people.

The Man Bat

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:48:08 -0500

Just take away all the frickin tazers. NYPD has been taking down bad guys and mentally unstable folks for years and years and years without the tazers. Man up NYPD!!

schadenfreudian mensch

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:41:51 -0500

It was a tragic and stupid mistake. Lesson next time, wait for the airbag. Poking someone with a fluorescent light blub isn't a dire situation where you need to put a mentally disturbed man down.

mdowning

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:30:45 -0500

count me as one who sees justice in this.

Papercutninja

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:28:08 -0500

"good riddance to bad cops"? A cop makes a mistake and some mentally imbalanced guy dies. That doesn't make him a "bad cop". It was a tragic mistake.

ironybubble

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:00:51 -0500

A lot can be learned from seeing this come full circle

dgandolfo

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:58:32 -0500

bleh. good riddance to bad cops. the less of them in the city, the better.

Spiritof76

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:47:42 -0500

He was "very distraught and upset" yet "no one saw this coming"? Sounds like Pigott wasn't the only one who couldn't anticipate a problem. If fellow officers saw him that upset, they should have at least put him on an unofficial suicide watch. You have to feel terrible for his family. Having a disgraced but living father and husband would still have been better than having none at all.

Felix Hoenikker

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:47:00 -0500

The city is worse off with one less experienced cop than with one less crazy person. Yeah I said it. FWIW, *if* they had waited for the airbag, and he was tased and fell the same way, he would have broken his neck and died anyway (or been a full quad).

edEx

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:45:17 -0500

A terrible tragedy...

plk779

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:36:59 -0500

Man.. sometimes people just make bad mistakes all around.

Jen Chung

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:35:23 -0500

This is terribly sad for both families. I hope the NYPD works on both its EDU training as well as its outreach to officers who need counseling.