When NYPD Lieutenant Edwin Raymond blew the whistle on alleged arrest quotas pushed by the department, he became a target of scorn and derision from his superiors who wrote poor job evaluations, which hobbled his career. His revelation that a numbers-obsessed NYPD was purposefully arresting Black and brown New Yorkers as a means of being "proactive" -- which he opposed despite confidants advising he keep quiet -- earned him national prominence and exhortations from supporters to run for office.
Five years after secretly recording superiors pressing him to meet arrest quotas, which resulted in an ongoing federal class action lawsuit filed by 12 officers (Raymond included) against the city, he took his supporters' advice by running in this year’s Democratic primary for Brooklyn's 40th Council District. The winner of the primary will succeed Councilmember Mathieu Eugene, the 14-year legislator who is term-limited. The central Brooklyn district covers Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Kensington, Midwood, Prospect Park, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens and overlaps with the 67th Precinct.
Other candidates include Rita Joseph, Josue Pierre, and Blake Morris, who, on top of Raymond, have all qualified for the city Campaign Finance Board’s matching funds program. Current filings show Raymond with $194,991.
In gathering financial support, Raymond, who is still on active duty for the NYPD, has found surprising donors in his campaign: active-duty officers that include a captain, detective, and scores of rank-and-file cops.
A review of campaign finance records shows 141 donations to Raymond's campaign from 132 active NYPD members, more than any other Council candidate this election cycle and running second to Eric Adams, a mayoral candidate and retired police officer. Before they were matched, Raymond's filings show he received $12,940 from officers, which had represented 14% of the $90,909 of the total campaign contributions he's received. His contributions from NYPD officers are four times more than the council candidate with the most donations officers in the 2013 election cycle, which was Daniel Dromm, who received a total of $2,925 for his campaign.
While 132 individual donors might seem small when compared to size of the NYPD, they're a show of support from those working in a department whose members often stay in line for fear of retribution. It’s what makes these donations striking: in keeping with transparency, the Campaign Finance Board requires campaign treasurers to disclose an individual donor's name, address, and current employer.
For Raymond, who's largely running on a platform of police accountability, the funds from active-duty officers confirmed support for a progressive reformer primed to use his insider knowledge of the system to effect change. Some of his ideas include placing more NYPD civilian personnel into management positions that encourage greater transparency, while also ending the quota-based practice Raymond says contributes to racial disparities in the criminal justice system. Raymond says the urgent need for reform is strong department-wide.
"There are thousands of justice-minded officers who are simply afraid," Raymond said. "One of the most shocking things in the experience were the many officers that found ways to reach out to me, sometimes in tears. Fathers whose wives don't work, who want to do things differently, but they can't risk jeopardizing their careers; single mothers who wish to do things differently, but they have two children, they're single, and they just can't risk jeopardizing their careers. And so many other people who tried things differently, and faced retaliation, sometimes career-ending, career-damaging.
Raymond added, “These are the thousands of members of the service I speak for. Obviously, I’m advocating for the community, but people have no idea how how many cops don’t agree with the system."
His contributions come from all over the department, with the bulk of them originating from officers living in Brooklyn. In some cases, contributors put down that they work at One Police Plaza, the main headquarters of the NYPD, which codifies department policy.
"I think even people within the NYPD are looking for reforms, and restructuring," George Artz, a political consultant, said. "[Raymond] reflects their values."
But while the contributions demonstrate support for Raymond, they also demonstrate a bifurcated department—those quietly pushing for reform are often drowned out by louder voices complaining of city overreach in message boards and news conferences. The latter comes largely from police unions, particularly by leadership from the Sergeants Benevolent Association and Police Benevolent Association, the largest police union representing patrol officers.
The PBA has largely leaned right, most recently endorsing Republican President Donald Trump's failed re-election bid. It was an unprecedented step by a union that rarely makes candidate endorsements, but instead consistently pours money into key races while railing publicly against reforms. A review of campaign records shows the PBA's political action committee—who derive their funds from undisclosed members—hasn't played a significant role this election cycle so far, contributing $8,000 to candidates, with no monies earmarked to any contender in the 40th Council District race.
Should Raymond win, he could become a greater thorn in the NYPD's side, especially if he succeeds in his aim to lead the Public Safety Committee, which convenes hearings on police matters.
"We've never had a public safety chair with law enforcement experience," Raymond said. “Think about someone who’s in charge of education who’s never taught.”
