Head Of Sergeants' Union Calls For Bratton To Step Down Amid NYPD Probe
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The head of the Sergeants' Benevolent Association on Sunday called for police Commissioner Bill Bratton to step down.
The call from SBA President Ed Mullins came amid the ongoing police corruption investigation into whether officers accepted gifts from businessmen with ties to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
In an interview on the John Catsimatidis AM970 radio show Sunday, Mullins said it is time to set the department straight.
"We need to set a standard and we need to raise the bar and we need to build relationships with the community," Mullins said. "I personally think Bratton has stayed too long. It's time to go."
CBS2 has reached out to Bratton for a comment, but had not heard back as of Sunday night.
The NYPD probe has centered on two businessmen who have ties to de Blasio's campaign. Jeremy Reichberg and Jona Rechnitz both served on de Blasio's inaugural committee and either donated or raised money for him.
So far, nine police officials, including four deputy chiefs, have been transferred or stripped of their guns and badges as internal affairs detectives and FBI agents examine whether officers accepted gifts and trips from businessmen in exchange for police escorts, special parking privileges and other favors.
The probe has also involved an investigation of payoffs for gun licenses. Alex "Shaya" Lichtenstein of Brooklyn has been charged with bribing police to give him gun permits without doing background checks or providing justification for owning a gun.
