Adrian Schoolcraft, a cop with the 81st Precinct in Bedford-Stuyvesant, was in possession of two things: (1) an amazing last name, and (2) information about precinct bosses’ pattern of downgrading crimes, bullying victims, enforcing ticket quotas, and performing “stop-and-frisks.” Schoolcraft shared the allegations with his superiors early last October. A few weeks later, a dozen cops showed up at his apartment in Glendale, handcuffed him, then forced him into the psych ward for six days at Jamaica Hospital, who saddled him with the bill. Papers detailing the allegations were removed from his home.
The saga was covered in a Village Voice profile, and the paper also made public recordings Schoolcraft had made of his fellow officers. Now, in a $50 million lawsuit, Schoolcraft named Deputy Inspector Steven Mauriello, the former commanding officer of the 81st Precinct (who was on the tapes), and Deputy Chief Michael Marino as part of the effort to “intimidate and silence him.” After initially standing by Mauriello, Commissioner Raymond Kelly transferred him to Bronx Transit last month. Schoolcraft’s lawyer, Jon Norinsberg, said, “They wanted to destroy his credibility so that no one would believe him when he went public with his charges.”
Whistleblowing cop slaps NYPD with $50 million suit for locking him up [NYDN]
NYPD Tapes 4: The WhistleBlower, Adrian Schoolcraft [VV]
