nypd blues

Whistle-blower Audio at NYPD Trial: Stop ‘Male Blacks, 14 to 20’

The latest whistle-blower cop to secretly record his commanding officer shared a recording in court on Thursday, in which his superior tells him to stop “male blacks, 14 to 20.” It’s in the context of a tense conversation between Officer Pedro Serrano, who testified Thursday in the ongoing trial over the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk program, and his superior officer, Deputy Inspector Christopher McCormack, in the Bronx. Serrano has been testifying that he faced retaliation for for not doing enough street stops, which is why he made the recording when he went to complain to McCormack about a poor performance review. What he wound up capturing speaks to the issue at the heart of the trial: whether the NYPD targets people for street stops based on their skin color, in violation of their civil liberties.

In the recording, McCormack sounds reluctant to specify who he wants Serrano to stop, simply saying he needs to stop and frisk “the right people, at the right time, the right location.” But as Serrano presses McCromack for specifics, McCormack finally lays it out: “I told you at roll call, and I have no problem telling you this, male blacks 14 to 20, 21.” The audio is available at the New York Times. But Serrano said under cross examination he was never told to stop all blacks and Hispanics, the New York Daily News reports. “Those specific words, no,” he told city lawyer Brenda Cooke.

Whistle-blower Shares Secret Audio at NYPD Trial