NYPD recruits are about to get a crash course in the ABCs of policing.
The federal monitor overseeing reforms to the NYPD wants the current class of Police Academy recruits to be taught groundbreaking new concepts like: Don’t be racist, don’t mock others, don’t tell sexist jokes and don’t hassle people for no reason.
NYPD INSPECTOR GENERAL CALLS FOR DATA-DRIVEN COP REVIEWS
The monitor, Peter Zimroth, asked Manhattan Federal Judge Analisa Torres on Monday to approve the stack of new training materials that will be presented to the class of cadets graduating in June.
He included in filings more than 75 PowerPoint slides that delve into the nitty-gritty of police work, detail constitutional stop-and-frisk practices — and give remedial directions that, it is hoped, the officers already know.
“Do not imitate the speech patterns of others: This will appear disingenuous, artificial and possibly racist,” reads another.
“Avoid expressing stereotypical assumptions. ‘He’s Irish but I’ve never seen him drunk,’ ” reads another.
The proposed instructional material is the result of Manhattan Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin’s 2013 ruling declaring the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk practices unconstitutional.
Zimroth said the material was developed in collaboration with the NYPD and City Hall, and that the new instructions were quickly prepared for the recruits who started classes at the Police Academy in January.
“It was essential that the materials be rewritten for the current class to reflect current law and policy,” Zimroth wrote to Torres about the crash course, noting that the instructions could change further for future classes.
Last month, Torres affirmed the role of police unions in developing the reforms.
A spokesman for the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association did not respond to an inquiry on whether the union was aware of the new material.
COPS RIP CITY PRPOSAL TO DECRIMINALIZE MINOR OFFENSES
EDITORIAL: NYC CITY COUNCIL’S PEE BRAINS SEEK TO SET LOOSE CHAOS ON THE STREETS
Many of the new slides are dedicated to explaining when a cop can stop and frisk someone, and how it should be done.
“Unless you tell a person why you stopped them, they are likely to believe that your actions were arbitrary,” a slide reads.
“Keep in mind that, when you stop and question people, you are letting them know that (in your judgment) they look wrong,” another notes.
“You need to expect the people you stop may resent it.”
The slides emphasize that cops should not have an inherently confrontational relationship with average citizens.
“Police officers tend to forget that most members of the community are good, law-abiding people who appreciate their presence and the positive influence police have on children and young people,” one slide reads.
ON A MOBILE DEVICE? WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.
