The NYPD is getting hammered left and right over the actions of its officers. Today’s news is about a New York City police officer in Staten Island who was caught on tape saying he “fried another n*gger,” to his girlfriend, on the phone, after the stop-and-frisk arrest of a Black man who was merely walking with his hands on his pockets. Yes, apparently, the officer arrested the unidentified Black man because he was Black. The officer is now facing federal civil rights charges.
“On April 15th, officer Michael Daragjati and his partner stopped an unidentified 31-year-old black man who was walking alone with his hands in his pockets,” reports Gothamist. “Naturally, this suspicious activity warranted further investigation, so Daragjati allegedly pushed the man against a parked van and ‘roughly’ frisked him. Finding nothing, the individual was sent on his way, but while walking away he dared to insult Daragjati.”
Officer Daragjati is accused of arresting the individual after he mouthed off. Although the victim did not resist arrest, Daragjati falsely wrote in a police report “that the victim had flailed his arms and kicked his legs during the arrest, purportedly justifying a resisting arrest charge,” prosecutors say. The poor guy spent 36 hours in jail before finally being released, and Daragjati is accused of charging him with a crime without probable cause and on false pretenses, and for doing so based on racial animus.
The Daragjati day [sic] he swore out the complaint, investigators intercepted a telephone call between Daragjati and a female friend. “I sat there for a couple of hours by the time I got it all done but, fried another n—–,†Daragjati allegedly told the woman. “What?†she asks. Daragjati allegedly replied, “Another nigger fried, no big deal.” Subsequent phone calls caught on tape also find Daragjati repeatedly using the n-word, and complaining that he could get fired if he got caught “throw[ing] somebody a beating,” prosecutors allege. Daragjati is also allegedly heard saying it’s too easy for cops to get in trouble, and admitting he’s been “skating it for a long time.”
Gothamist also reports that officer Daragjati is facing extortion charges in an unrelated matter.
The New York Times notes,
A search of the man revealed no contraband, but after he complained about his treatment and asked for the officer’s badge number, Officer Daragjati arrested him and charged him with resisting arrest, telling him that he did not like being disrespected, prosecutors said.
NBC notes the FBI is involved, and adds,
Prosecutors said Daragjati used racial epithets in about 12 other recordings.  As for the man who was arrested, he was not identified. He was held for two nights at the 120th Precinct before agreeing to plead guilty to a disorderly conduct charge. Prosecutors said he copped the plea in order to avoid going to Riker’s on the more serious resisting arrest charge.
Just yesterday, news came that the NYPD has settled for $1.2 million in cases related to NYPD officers accused of planting drugs on suspects. Gothamist reports:
While people seem to be understandably interested in the violent arrests made by the NYPD during the Occupy Wall Street protests, lets not forget about thewidespread practice of planting drugs on innocent suspects! “Flaking,” as it’s called, has reportedly cost the city $1.2 million to settle cases of false arrests. The Daily News reports that the settlements range from $15,000 to $300,000, not to mention the untold amounts of time and money wasted on prosecuting false cases. But hey, crime’s down!
Former narcotics Detective Stephen Anderson testified at the drugs-planting trial of Detective Jason Arbeeny, and said, “The corruption I observed… was something I was seeing a lot of, whether it was from supervisors or undercovers and even investigators.” But Detectives Endowment Association President Michael Palladino tells the paper, “By his own admission, Anderson is clearly involved in wrongdoing, but it’s disgraceful that to justify his own actions, he decided to attack the integrity and credibility of his hardworking fellow narcotics detectives.”
And let’s remember those 71 (now 90) arrests made in under 24 hours of peaceful Occupy Wall Street protestors over this weekend.