The New York Times has written another letter to the NYPD urging the department to stop harassing journalists and better inform their employees on the rights of members of the press. The letter, obtained by Capital New York and addressed to top NYPD spokesman and wooden Italian marionette Paul Browne, details further police interference and abuse, and strongly urges the department to "not underestimate our resolve in working to rectify these issues." more ›

Last week, as the NYPD brass struggled to contain the controversy over a xenophobic anti-Islam propaganda film that was screened for over 1,400 cops, we took a stroll down memory lane to recap the department's top ten lies. Many of these deceptions come straight from NYPD spokesman Paul Browne, who's been Commissioner Ray Kelly's spin doctor since the early '90s. New Yorkers currently pay Browne over $100,000 a year for the favor of supressing public information, and although he's joined to Kelly at the hip, there's a growing chorus demanding his head on a stick. more ›

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly continued to be bombarded by questions concerning his appearance in the Islamophobic propaganda film The Third Jihad yesterday, and admitted to reporters that it was "inflammatory" and "a little much." Kelly added that when you're in his position, it's tough to keep track of all the filmmakers and journalists chasing you down for a quote. "In this job, you do a lot of interviews," he told the Times. This one sounds worse than a simple scheduling conflict: maybe it's time to fire the secretary? more ›

Top cop Ray Kelly and his spokesman Paul Browne have been on the defensive all week after they were caught lying, or misremembering, the details of Kelly's involvement in an Islamophobic propaganda film that was screened on a continuous loop for over 1,300 officers. Asked again about the controversy yesterday, Mayor Blooomberg told reporters, "Anything like this doesn’t help credibility. Ray’s got to work at establishing, or re-establishing, or reinforcing the credibility that he does have [with the Muslim community]. In other news, the NYPD has credibility with the Muslim community? more ›

Last year, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly sent multiple letters to the city's Muslim leaders insisting the department "did not participate in" the production of an Islamophobic propaganda film that was screened on a continuous loop for over 1,200 NYPD officers. Then along came The Brennan Center for Justice and their meddlesome Freedom of Information Law requests, Kelly was forced to admit that he did knowingly participate in the film, titled The Third Jihad. And now, as some call for Kelly's resignation, The New York World takes a look at the NYPD guidelines and finds that Popeye probably broke some big rules. Surely he will hold himself accountable! more ›

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly rarely apologizes, but yesterday he was forced to drop the A-Bomb in an attempt to defuse the controversy over an anti-Islam propaganda documentary that was screened on a continuous loop for over 1,200 police officers in 2010. Kelly makes a brief appearance in the documentary, called The Third Jihad, talking about the threat of nuclear terrorism. Although Kelly's right hand man Paul Browne had earlier claimed that Kelly's appearance was culled from old interviews, Browne was forced to admit on Tuesday that he had in fact recommended Kelly sit for the interview, which lasted 90 minutes. more ›

We don't want to alarm anyone, but it appears that NYPD spokesman Paul Browne has been caught in a fib. Or, as the NY Times generously puts it, Browne suddenly "remembered" on Tuesday that what he remembered on Monday was not specifically too true! This blow to Browne's sterling reputation for transparency came after the producer of an Islamophobic propaganda documentary proved that Commissioner Ray Kelly knowingly sat for an interview. This directly contradicts Browne's earlier claim that Kelly's appearance in the movie, called The Third Jihad, was culled from old interviews without the NYPD's permission. So sorry to disillusion you. more ›

At a hastily-assembled press conference Sunday night, Mayor Bloomberg and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly stated that arresting 27-year-old terror suspect Jose Pimentel was an urgent priority "before he could detonate a fully-operated bomb." But the FBI's refusal to take the case based on "holes" and entrapment issues as well as the revelations that Pimentel, a frequent marijuana smoker, had attempted to circumcise himself pose the salient question: was Pimentel ever a serious threat to society? more ›

Yesterday, an observer for the National Lawyers Guild had a literal run-in with a NYPD cop on a scooter during an Occupy Wall Street morning march. Videos show Ari Douglas screaming after seemingly getting run over by a scooter, but there are varying opinions about what happened: Some say he was hit by the scooter while others (like the NYPD) say Douglas put his legs under the scooter and pretended he was hit. A reader Tweeted another video and said, "My video of legal observer Ari Douglas shows he did not try to get run over by NYPD." Take a look—it's a little hard to see, because it's shaky: more ›

In a letter to Gov. Paterson, asking him to kill a measure that would make it illegal for cops to set quotas for summonses, arrests and stop-and-frisks, Mayor Bloomberg wrote: "For an employee whose function it is to issue parking tickets, a measurement clearly relevant to job performance is the number of summonses issued over the course of a reasonable period of time." (Of, course, the Mayor doesn't call 'em quotas in the letter, but we all know what he means!) more ›

Meet Paul Browne, the former reporter (and potential spy recruit) who gets paid almost $200K a year to keep citizens in the dark about the NYPD. In his fervent attempt to stop leaks to the press, Browne has allegedly pored through cell phone records of detectives in search of reporters' phone numbers, transferring those who've talked "to shit jobs." This fascinating Observer profile describes him as "the most senior aide to the most powerful police commissioner in the history of the Police Department." more ›

Everyone is so distracted by "sexy" alleged Russian spy Anna Chapman and her topless photos and "kinky" sex life* (unclear if she wore the tiara), we're not sure if they noticed this Wall Street Journal article about NYPD Deputy Commissioner and spokesman Paul Browne—he says a Russian spy tried to recruit him in the 1970s! more ›

Backing up longstanding rumors of NYPD quotas, a cop claims police officers are required to issue 20 summonses and make 1 arrest per month so commanding officers appear to maintain low crime rates in their precincts. "At the end of the night you have to come back with something," Officer Adil Polanco told ABC. "You have to write somebody, you have to arrest somebody, even if the crime is not committed, the number's there. So our choice is to come up with the number." more ›

As part of the ongoing response to help prevent a friendly fire shooting like the one that killed Omar Edwards last week, yesterday the NYPD announced that they were in the early stages of developing a "smart gun," one that would include radio transmitters to alert cops of nearby weapons on other officers. The announcement came a week before the department was meeting with the lab working to develop the weapon. Only there was one problem—scientists attending next week's meeting were about to tell the NYPD that the gun is off the table. A lab spokesman told the Post, "Even if we had the funding to try to develop this, we wouldn't. There are so many limitations, it's not a good use of technology dollars." Still NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said that the technology is something the department would like to work towards, telling the paper, "It's something that doesn't exist today. It's something that is not developed but we are talking to people to see if there is a possibility of this in the future." The Post says that the department had already sent outlines of the smart gun plans to politicians before learning the idea was dead. more ›

After the dust cleared in yesterday's New School building occupation and police confrontation that resulted in 22 arrests, demonstrations continued into the night Friday with around 200 protesters marching south from Union Square towards President Bob Kerrey's house before being blocked off by police officers at 11th Street. more ›

James O’Hare and David Dalaia, both 65, were arrested after they wheeled in the corpse of O'Hare's roommate to a check cashing office, attempting to cash in O'Hare's dead roommate's Social Security check. With a roommate like this... more ›

There's finally been an arrest in the murder of Linda Stein. Yesterday it was reported that the police were interested in re-interviewing Stein's assistant, Brooklyn resident Natavia Lowery, who has a shady past involving identity theft. So it's not all that surprising that today the NYPD announced Lowery has been taken into custody. They found the 26-year old in Virginia Beach, apparently visiting her boyfriend.Police spokesman Paul Browne said Lowery "made statements implicating herself" in... more ›

The NYPD is investigating six police officers suspected of trying to improperly obtain steroids. According to WNBC, the NYPD and State Health department have been raiding Brooklyn pharmacies - and the NYPD's Internal Affairs has now turned an eye on its own. more ›

All four officers, he said, told them they couldn't help. more ›

The NYPD's Hate Crime Unit is investigating numerous instances of anti-Semitic vandalism in Brooklyn Heights. Monday evening, swastikas were found painted on two synagogues, three buildings, and two cars, but by yesterday afternoon, over a dozen other markings were discovered (one brownstone also had an SS logo painted on it), as well as flyers with swastikas and slurs on cars' windshields. more ›

Some more details about the latest person-in-custody- who-escaped: 46-year-old Gregory Pollock who had escaped police custody while at Long Island Hospital in Brooklyn yesterday morning was found a few hours later. It turns out that Pollock, who had been arrested for, per the Sun, "allegedly drinking a beer in public and possessing a crack pipe," escaped by crashing through a plate glass window around 1:40AM. Eek. more ›

The city is still taking seriously an unsubstantiated threat of a dirty bomb issued over the Internet that was publicized last night. The New York Times is reporting that Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne stated the threat was noticed by the NYPD after it appeared on Debka.com, a website that reports many threats, some of which are substantiated. The particular threat that caused the alarm last night was one that named New York, Los Angeles, and Miami as possible sites of a truck-bomb radiological attack. more ›

Because September 8, 2009 is 776 days away, let's talk the 2009 mayoral race. more ›

To anyone attending next year's Puerto Rican Day Parade, we have this suggestion: Don't wear black-and-gold. At a press conference, parade organizers decried arrests of people who were not engaged in any illegal activity during Sunday's event. National Puerto Rican Day Parade president Madelyn Lugo said, "We are very disappointed and alarmed that these violations of civil rights should occur." more ›

After two days on life support, the 56-year-old bodega owner, who was shot in the face during a robbery attempt, died yesterday morning and police continued their search for the group suspected of robbing a number of bodegas over the past four months. Police Commissioner Kelly said the robbers are "certainly" considered "dangerous," but Cruz's family wonders why the police didn't tell the community about the robberies. more ›

Yesterday's reports about the number of people arrested during the 50th annual Puerto Rican Day Parade were incorrect: While numbers like 80 and 173 were offered, today the NY Times reveals 208 people were arrested, due to police concerns about the Latin Kings. However, there's some question as to whether more people without gang connections were arrested during the sweep. more ›

Showing that the NYPD really hates cowards who punch out and mug elderly women with walkers, the entire police force is on alert to find the man who mugged two Queens seniors. Over 25,000 police officers have seen the video and there are "several dozen detectives assigned to the case," according to Newsday. Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne explained, "Considering the brutality of the attacks, and the fact the women appeared to be targeted because of their age and fragility, the Police Department is paying special attention to the case." He also said, "It's a vicious attack for a small amount of money." Indeed - the total haul was $65. more ›