He went above and beyond the call of duty.
Last month, an NYPD officer was fined a hefty fine for harassing someone he imitated his ex-girlfriend several years ago by playing recordings of sheep, dolphins and seals in phone messages.
Brendan Sullivan, a childish member of New York's Finest, appears to have taken revenge on 52-year-old Brooklyn resident Paul Vogel. That's because Vogel called the complaint line hundreds of times to report police cars and FDNY trucks frequently parked on city sidewalks and crosswalks. According to the New York Times.
Sullivan admitted to leaving six strange messages on Vogel's cell phone between March 2021 and January 2022. The stories range from the bizarre to the downright creepy, such as when a police officer imitated a woman's breathy voice and pretended to be Vogel's ex-girlfriend.
“Hi, Paul, I was just calling to see how you're doing,” Sullivan said in the recording obtained by the Times. “I thought we met at Vanderbilt, but apparently not. I tried to throw you off.”
“I just want to let you know that I miss you,” he continued. “I hope you answer the phone next time. You're still the best to me. I hope you still dream about me. I love you, baby. Goodbye Pauly V.”
In another strange message, Sullivan played recordings of dolphins, seals, and sheep cries and cries, then hung up.
On another occasion, he repeated Vogel's first name and demanded that he answer the phone.
6 voicemails — First reported by Street BlogTransportation News Site – The revelations come after the City Bureau of Investigation opens an investigation into a police officer who retaliated against a New Yorker who complained about illegal parking.
Now Sullivan, a 17-year veteran, will pay the price. The city's Conflicts of Interest Commission found that Sullivan “sought to prevent citizens from exercising their constitutional rights regarding government actions,” and fined him $500, the Times reported. reported. .
77 membersth Precincts who have since been reassigned will also lose 60 days of vacation time, which is worth about $25,000.
Vogel told the Times that the punishment was “pretty significant for what ultimately amounts to a prank call.”
“On the one hand, the man was a police officer and he harassed civilians,” he continued. “It doesn't make me feel very good to think that someone who does that in a public capacity still has a badge and a gun.”
The NYPD would only say that it is “dedicated to ensuring the pedestrian safety of all New Yorkers.”
Vogel said he started calling 311 more frequently during the pandemic because he was frustrated that first responders often parked in front of sidewalks, crosswalks and fire hydrants. .
“It’s not a small thing,” he said. “It puts people at risk.”
Vogel, who works as a fundraiser for family planning organizations, said she is well aware that she flies frequently, but hinted that it's more of a hobby.
“Some people play Candy Crush,” he told the Times. “I was reporting on these things regularly.”
he is not alone. Earlier this year, so many people complained about illegally parked cruisers that the Southern District of New York threatened to sue the Big Apple if it didn't stop.
But Vogel seemed to be the only one who suffered the wrath of their phone lines.
The Brooklyn District Attorney investigated the incident and found no criminal activity, the Times said.
This isn't the first time Sullivan has faced bad experiences.
Nine years ago, the officer was placed on 30 days of leave after the NYPD discovered he had sent another Jewish officer a photo of a Holocaust corpse and a photo of Hitler giving a one-armed Nazi salute. The Times reported that it was lost.
The victim, David Attari, retired in 2014 after being accused of abuse by other officers as well.
A year later, Sullivan sued the city, but during a deposition, Sullivan claimed that “we had a joking relationship.”
“I didn't think they were offensive to him,” he said.
The city settled the case in 2019, the Times reported.
But Sullivan's actions against Vogel were a complete abuse of power, and could have a broader chilling effect, according to John Caney, a 311 advocate and current executive director of the watchdog group Reinvent Albany. It is said that there is.
“This undermines the effectiveness of 311, the most important accountability tool people have other than voting.”
