Gothamist: Patrick Pogan, Alleged Cyclist Bodyslammer, Indicted

Brooklynbobby

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:23:58 -0500

Commenters on NYPD Rant are predictably disappointed, too; one opines: "He may have made a mistake, he shouldn't be indicted for it. Where is the serious physical injury? What weapon did he use?" Mistake? He was caught on camera being a megalo-asshole. I can't understand the screening process that takes place when the NYPD hires these obvious imbeciles!!!

zodak

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:30:44 -0500

"I don't understand why the rest of the NYPD, the vast majority of whom are basically decent people who are doing their best to keep the city safe, don't jump up to condemn this schmuck." because the vast majority of the NYPigD are just like him, except they don't get caught on youtube.

jaycjay

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:23:36 -0500

" He's nothing more than some over-privileged 3rd generation NYPD and snot-nose rookie. It's interesting that the guy Pogan knocked off his bicycle was an Army vet." Yep. Fresh out of the academy and assigned to Midtown South... that simply doesn't happen unless the rook's connected. Dad pulled some strings, and got him into the position where he could assault a guy who had actually put his life on the line for the country. Oh, but the guy was riding a bike at the time, so he was just some hippy who must have deserved it. At least that last part is what I just read over on NYPD Rants.

just_saying

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 23:58:42 -0500

Patrick Pogan thinks he is a tough guy, so send him to some place like Mosul, Iraq. Then we'd see how tough he really is. He's nothing more than some over-privileged 3rd generation NYPD and snot-nose rookie. It's interesting that the guy Pogan knocked off his bicycle was an Army vet.

RedWhiteandBrooklyn

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:16:52 -0500

"...but especially one who had only been out of the police academy for three weeks." Wouldn't you hope that there was enough psychological screening in our Police Academy that a lying bully like this would have been weeded out before getting a badge & a gun?

NapoleonComplex

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:00:45 -0500

jaycjay - I'm not complaining about the presumption of innocence. It's one of the great things about our legal system. When I stated that calling him the alleged or the indicted didn't change that underlying fact, I was simply making a semantic argument. Whether you choose to refer to him as the alleged or the indicted, he is still the alleged, which I find humorous under the present context. I'm not trying to express any disapproval of the legal system (not that it doesn't have anything worth disapproving of).

Reflect

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:46:11 -0500

as someone whos been falsley accused as a child by the juvinale injustice system. This type of thing cannot be lightly treated. Too many lives have been close to ruin because of false testimonys. Abuse of power has no place in postions of authority. NONE! I think his false statement are worse than the assault. this planet needs a truth machine. (lie dectector tests are bullshyt. Thanks god. You have some splaning to do when im through with this life.

jaycjay

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:32:45 -0500

"but it doesn't change the underlying fact that he hasn't been convicted yet and that in the eyes of the law he is still innocent until proven otherwise." OK. I don't really follow the complaint about that -- I wouldn't really be comfortable with people being able to be sentenced based on what's appeared on YouTube, for example -- but OK. "Have you, or anyone you know, ever read or posted on the NYPD Rant forums?" Not a big concern; you have to be a cop, firefighter, or in the military in order to post at the Rant... none of those are likely to be accepted onto a cop's jury.

breaknight

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:24:45 -0500

Jesus. It I were a cop I'd want him off the force right away. The guy abuses his power, bullies people, then writes false reports about it. But wait-oh yeah- never mind, I forgot that's standard operating procedure for Ray Kelly's NYPD...

NapoleonComplex

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:08:20 -0500

jaycjay - true, we can refer to him that way instead, but it doesn't change the underlying fact that he hasn't been convicted yet and that in the eyes of the law he is still innocent until proven otherwise. The indictment is just the formal written accusation of the crime made by the grand jury who has determined there is sufficient cause to make the charge. I just hope that in the unfortunate event that this case actually goes to a jury trial, that during jury selection the prosecutor asks the panel, "Have you, or anyone you know, ever read or posted on the NYPD Rant forums?"

jaycjay

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:06:28 -0500

"" Where is the serious physical injury? What weapon did he use?"...but what about filing a false report ( a felony that he has been charged for)," I'll give that commenter a break, because while it's not clear as related above, he wrote that before the announcement was made as to what the indictment was for. The word at the time was just "felony," so he was apparently taking that as meaning a felony assault charge, which would require a weapon and/or serious injury.

mercury

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:00:59 -0500

In this article comes :" Where is the serious physical injury? What weapon did he use?"...but what about filing a false report ( a felony that he has been charged for), Do we comprehend the seriousness of that felony ? It is possible to send somebody to death row by a false report by an officer...so better be happy than sad that sooner this happened than later

jaycjay

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:36:46 -0500

"You have to love our legal system. Video of the assault, paper work detailing the false accusations against Christopher Long, and we still have to refer to him as the "alleged" Cyclist Bodyslammer." No, actually we don't. We can now refer to him, thanks to our legal system, as the 'indicted' Cyclist Bodyslammer. 'Convicted' shouldn't be far behind.

PTG in nyc

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:14:17 -0500

What a dumb LI Meathead d-bag http://www.nypost.com/seven/07302008/photos/news007.jpg If they sentence him to lie down in the middle of the next critical mass demonstration, that might be better than him serving time.

NapoleonComplex

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:00:40 -0500

You have to love our legal system. Video of the assault, paper work detailing the false accusations against Christopher Long, and we still have to refer to him as the "alleged" Cyclist Bodyslammer. That's so a constipated defense lawyer is given the opportunity to pull something out of his ass at trial and feel regular. Pogan would have been just your average bad cop because of the assault, but he proved himself to be an even more egregious individual when he attempted to get away with his crime by falsely accusing an innocent person of crimes they didn't commit. It wasn't enough for Pogan to just assault and risk seriously injuring Long, he tried to give him a criminal record and ruin the rest of his life as well. I have a hard time imagining a method for rehabilitating Pogan to the point where I would feel comfortable allowing him to continue in his capacity as a police officer.

Brainwash

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:56:01 -0500

When's the hanging?

Snoopy

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:52:56 -0500

I didn't say it. ides of march said it.

NannyState

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:42:29 -0500

It's the "NYPD against the world", folks, which is beyond dysfunctional. When did they become a cult?

djchaser

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:38:12 -0500

I don't understand why the rest of the NYPD, the vast majority of whom are basically decent people who are doing their best to keep the city safe, don't jump up to condemn this schmuck. He's giving them a bad name. Taking this guy's side doesn't help distance them from that thuggy reputation.

Spiritof76

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:36:16 -0500

You gotta love all the comments on the Rant about how there was nothing wrong with Pogan doing what he did, just that he shouldn't have done it in public. And you wonder why people hate cops.

r1b2

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:26:09 -0500

Ray Kelly should have said "It's certainly sad and disappointing to see any officer commit violent crimes against peaceful citizens, but especially one who had only been out of the police academy for three weeks."

JacqueMehoff

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:25:52 -0500

thanks for taking one for the team JDS, I don't want to know what they write on nypdrant. why does the NYPD hates veterans so much?

rcltrh

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:22:24 -0500

"He may have made a mistake, he shouldn't be indicted for it. Where is the serious physical injury? What weapon did he use?" Hmm. On the job 3 weeks and doing this kind of stunt makes me really scared of what would happen in 2-3 years - metal baton - anal probe - emptying his entire magazine into innocent bystanders. Beyond belief people would try to stand behind this moron. Hopefully the felony will go through and he will need to find another career that doesn't allow for him to interact with people in an authoritative way.

w0wzers

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:17:34 -0500

Mr.Pogan is a Prick. Plain and simple.