NYPD's Bermuda Trip Denied!

This Bermuda cop won't be getting any help from the NYPD.

There are probably some very pissed off cops in NYC today. The NYPD denies it, but it looks like a number of officers in the Gang Division were packing their bags for sunny Bermuda, to help neutralize a wave of gang shootings there. But after the tabloids caught wind of, the department backed way from the plan. And you can understand why, when the Post's lede is, "Looks like crime is so low in New York that the NYPD is reportedly loaning out officers to Bermuda."

Nor does it look good for Mayor Bloomberg—who has a residence on the island—when the Bermuda Public Safety Minister David Burch is giving these kinds of statements to The Royal Gazette: "Mayor Bloomberg rang the Premier, as a resident of Bermuda and someone who has a keen interest in the safety of Bermuda. He is a friend and said, 'We probably can help. Get your Commissioner to talk to the head of our Gang Unit.'"

But the Mayor's office seems to be denying this, and instructed NYPD spokesman Paul Browne to issue this statement:

Deputy Chief Robert Boyce of the NYPD Gang Division consulted by telephone with Bermuda Police officials last month regarding strategies to suppress gang violence. No offer was made or agreed upon to send NYPD personnel to Bermuda, however. Chief Boyce was informed by Bermuda authorities that an FBI team would be travelling there to assist them.

Now the Bermuda officials seem a little bit offended, and when reached for comment, the Minister would only say, "I refer all media to what I said in my statement yesterday, which stated that we have accepted the offer of Mayor Michael Bloomberg." The NYPD points out that they "periodically send personnel to foreign countries to assist on issues ranging from hostage negotiation to organized crime and internal affairs, with the costs assumed by the US State Department or the host nation." It just gets a little awkward when they're being dispatched to keep Bloomberg's vacation spot safe.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on January 7, 2010 11:20 AM

Comments [rss]

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

Funny clarice city.

thelexiphane

Lay off Bloomberg. NYC is his personal fiefdom--one that he had to pay through the nose for three times I might add. If he wants to loan our police to safeguard one of his vacation spots, that's his divine right to do so.

S.K.

Shall we adopt Bermuda as out sixth borough?

longacre

"This is Rockaway Park - Beach 116th Street. The next stop is: Bermuda."

whitecastlerock

There are gangs within the 5 boroughs that deal drugs, traffic humans, terrorize and murder law abiding citizens. Please make their safety a priority.

Wza

Yep.

JacqueMehoff

How come you never see bloomberg without a T shirt when he opens the city pools? that's so ghetto.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

NYPD=Bloomberg's personal army. Dept of Justice is a joke. Quinn and Bloomberg belong in jail. by the way, I believe what a close friend of the Bloomberg administration told me,. He goes to Bermuda to "play" with boys. Every weekend and every holiday, Bloomberg spends in Bermuda and returns with no tan lines. hmmmm

Clarice City

How do you know anything about his tan lines? hmmmmmm

hotstepper

oh snap!

longacre

Sunbathing naked makes you gay?

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

Bloomberg doesn't hang on the beach, he is indoors. do you ever see any tan lines???

longacre

Unless you had a telescope pointed at his bathroom window, how would you know if he had tan lines or not? He's always wearing a suit.

chuzzlewit

that's funny you rang up the minister - did he sniff when he said that? did you ask him if he was wearing shorts?

longacre

As long as Bermuda pays for it, I don't see a problem with this. Probably only a few cops and they aren't going to be there forever. And Bermuda is too far north to be much of a paradise this time of year.

books

How can you say that?

Will they deduct time spent policing another country from the pension that NEW YORK CITY tax payers will pay them.

How come a city employee cant be taken out for lunch by a vendor but the mayor can pimp out the police force to his friends?

this was a terrible idea. unfortunately, this was only one case that the media got a hold of. corrupt public servants are abusing their positions and getting free travel out of it all the time.