There are more troubling questions about what critics say is the NYPD's obsession with ticket and arrest quotas.
It is 10 p.m. on a Sunday and Yosef Bergovoy is standing on a sidewalk talking to his friends. In a moment, these three college students became suspects of a criminal misdemeanor.
ABC7 Spotlights CHI Story on Bogus Summonses
There are more troubling questions about what critics say is the NYPD’s obsession with ticket and arrest quotas.
It is 10 p.m. on a Sunday and Yosef Bergovoy is standing on a sidewalk talking to his friends. In a moment, these three college students became suspects of a criminal misdemeanor.
Four NYPD officers gave them each a summons for “blocking pedestrian traffic”, even though a photograph shows a virtually empty sidewalk. They were detained for about an hour and much of the incident was videotaped by a friend.
“During the hour of detainment, we asked we’re standing on the sidewalk, we’re standing on private property, what’s the problem, who are we disturbing?” Bergovoy said.
“I don’t think we did anything wrong on any level so I was just surprised about it, even a little bit frightened that one day you could be standing talking to a friend and just randomly you have to go to court. And you can’t do anything about it, what can you say? The police are the police,” said Yakov Sabol, from Crown Heights.
Their experience brings to mind the long lines that wrap around the courts on any given day in the city. Eyewitness News’ investigation last spring showed that half of all the people standing in those lines will have their summons tossed out, many because the NYPD failed to show any evidence of wrong doing, just as it happened to Marie Hibbert.
“It’s ridiculous, it needs to stop,” said Marie Hibbert, who got a summoning on May 24th.
Whistleblowers from inside the NYPD such as Officer Adrian Schoolcraft, Adil Polanco and other cops have been telling us that the department is obsessed with numbers and quotas. Secret tapes of supervisors during roll call shines a light on this fixation, which officers say, lead to bogus summonses.
“I want a ghost town; I want to hear an echo from one end of the street to the other. You understand, that’s what I want in a perfect world. So that’s your mission. You guys need collars, you need activity, there you go, they got to be removed,” said Adil Polanco.
These young men believe they are the latest victims of NYPD quotas.
“Something’s wrong. And it’s happening around the city it’s growing and it has to be stopped,” Bergovoy said.
The NYPD says the three men were making a lot of noise and causing pedestrians to go around them into the street. The department says they were asked to move and when they refused, they were given a summons. The three strongly dispute that.
Rarely are these cases of questionable summonses caught on video tape. What is clear is that the three men being detained here are calm, they are respectful. It is also clear that if any pedestrian traffic is being blocked, it is because of the four officers and their vehicles. While there’s a 50-50 chance that their summonses will get tossed out, the officers will still get credit toward their monthly quota.
“It’s scary that it’s happening so many times that nobody’s doing anything about it. If somebody’s standing on the street talking to his friend and it’s not illegal and the cops are giving summons for it they should be stopped,” Sabol said.
chani
nypd! what’s the issue here? there’s a reason why they need quotas? $.
CH resident
What is happening to the world?
THX
Thanks for sending this story to ABC News.
Sam
I must say – the three guys made a Kiddush Hashem by appearing well dressed, calm, and articulate. Thank God it wasn’t a group of three Kevutza hooligans jabbering in broken English …
Job well done – the only disingenuous part was the thing about them being “three college student” – and the one fry-out that had no beard …
omg ur the best
omg yosef your really making it big in the world and it was really nice to c the big kiddush hashem much hatzlacha!!!!!! your the best go yosef we always knew you could do it!!!!!!!
Get rid of these Cops!
But when a Bochur was being attacked by a dog on Eastern Parkway the cops just sat in the car watching. Why didn’t they ticket the bochur. He surely had to have some reason to deserve a summons.
resident
I’m no lawyer, but if I were them I’d find one & sue NYPD & these officers in particular. For once there’s proof that the victim is right. It’s about time our poorly-represented community fought back. We can’t rely on the CHJCC so we have to do it ourselves.
Speaking of lawyers, get a famous one, like Sanford Rubenstein. He always represents low-lives who sue for all sorts of things…now he can represent decent, law-abiding citizens who actually did nothing wrong.
Concerned & Proud To live in Crown Heigh
Heads will roll ;From the Top on down;;;;;;;;;”Crown heights Is the ‘Core’ Of the world
to # 4- sam
What are you talking about?? The one without the beard is in oholei torah, and why do you make such freakish assumptions about the beard when it isn’t true. One other has smicha. Why do people have to say bad things about people when it isn’t even close to true?
Yngi the Beast
where is mr beast now ?
now the abc is against the low lives mr Beast and mica ?
to sam apam #4
I’ll take the fry-out dude anyday blindly into my world over the likes of you, just an amazinggly brazen and naresh comment that reeks from inner pain and needs.
That said, these cops are done – how silly – has nothing even to do with anti-semitism. you can tell obviously the ringleader for sure is on his way to desk duty.
antimesira
To Number 10.
Yingy is having the cake and trying to eat it.
McMachshefa
Mica? Is that short for Machshefa?
Antoine
Zalman showed them who is boss. That’s right leave that ticket on the floor.
Ariyeh Leib Segall
Yasher Koach !!!!
It’s the only way to go …Getting the media to embarass the NYPD ..will get them to stop the nonsense and focus on the Real problems which they seem to ignore and the statistics show it !!!
15 % rise in murders ..
The stupidity of those dunder heads that run the Precints filter down to the typical Patrol cop that barely has any common sense to distinguish between a legitimate stop and one that will be dismissed immeditaely !!!
to Ariyeh Leib Segall
this is not the 1st time nypd was on tv alot of times the news shows about these stuff but they dont care
no more yellow stars!
please sue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
these things shold be brought to the limelight,
so other people won’t have to go through this!
thank you for taking this public!
it’s important!
Jimmy Justice
please publicize the location and date that the bochurim have to be in court to fight these bogus summonses. I am sure the community would like to attend the court hearing and show some support.
outsider
If you continue to do what you’ve done, you will continue to get what you’ve got.
When you vote for democRATS, you will get a police state. If you want things to change vote republican. Bloomberg is a former democrat who turned republican to get into office. Vote for a real CONSERVATIVE and you will get a more limited form of government including less obnoxious police.
And yes, you might get less benefits. It’s your choice.
no name
i think a police officer has to hand the ticket to the person and not place it next to them. so thats another thing that the police did wrong
Whaaaaaaaaaaaat???????
What a chilul hashem!
To Number 21
I’m not sure which part you consider a chillul hashem, but i think you’re totally wrong. at least someone has the guts to stand up for the right thing and not let those dumb police get away with it. kudos to the bochurim.
Keep the Quotas!
Yea, that’s right- KEEP THE QUOTAS!!! Just change the rules a little bit. Instead of having a quota for summonses, make it tie into the conviction rate. If a cop is making his quota but has a conviction rate of under 85%, he must not be doing his job right.
Not only would this ensure that cops would cut down on the bogus summonses, it would also help the department. They need to make a certain amount of money? For each case that gets thrown out, not only do they not get any money, but they lose money in DA/court costs. Enforcing an 85% conviction rate for any cop giving out tickets would make everyone happier and the city a lot richer.
Fight The Beast
i saw yesterday the Yingi BEAST crying to his friends
how on every step he is a looser . and every time he defends the machshaifa (Credit to # 13) and the the police he becomes a biger looser.
well god is with the jews and yngi the BEAST is with The mossrim and the goyim.
god shell help the US the JEWS will allways be on top and the BEAST AND MACHASHAIFA will allways be DOWN .