Cop Who Body-Slammed Critical Masser FIRED, Faces Criminal Charges

NYPD fires rookie cop caught on YouTube video bashing bicyclist
By Alison Gendar
New York Daily News | Thursday, 19-Feb-2009, 8:57 PM
Message-ID:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_c..._youtube_.html

[Video Linked to from Online Story]

A rookie cop accused of body-slamming a bicyclist during a
Times Square rally has been fired by the NYPD, police confirmed
Thursday.

Police Officer Patrick Pogan, 23, was fired by the department
Feb. 10, police confirmed.

Pogan was barely out of the academy when he was caught on video
tackling cyclist Christopher Long at a Critical Mass cyclist
rally in July.

The video became a hit on YouTube, and Pogan was brought up on
criminal charges in December for assault, harassment and filing
a bogus police report.

Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said the YouTube
video and witness accounts contradict Pogan's written report
accusing Long of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and
obstructing government administration.

Charges against Long were dismissed.

Pogan, a former high school football offensive lineman and
the son of a retired NYPD detective, pleaded not guilty to
the criminal charges.

He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

Jym Dyer wrote:
NYPD fires rookie cop caught on YouTube video bashing bicyclist
By Alison Gendar
New York Daily News | Thursday, 19-Feb-2009, 8:57 PM
Message-ID:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_c..._youtube_.html

[Video Linked to from Online Story]

A rookie cop accused of body-slamming a bicyclist during a
Times Square rally has been fired by the NYPD, police confirmed
Thursday.

Police Officer Patrick Pogan, 23, was fired by the department
Feb. 10, police confirmed.

Pogan was barely out of the academy when he was caught on video
tackling cyclist Christopher Long at a Critical Mass cyclist
rally in July.

The video became a hit on YouTube, and Pogan was brought up on
criminal charges in December for assault, harassment and filing
a bogus police report.

Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said the YouTube
video and witness accounts contradict Pogan's written report
accusing Long of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and
obstructing government administration.

Charges against Long were dismissed.

Pogan, a former high school football offensive lineman and
the son of a retired NYPD detective, pleaded not guilty to
the criminal charges.

He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

WHOO HOOO!

Justice (so far) is served.

I hope Long files a civil suit against Pogan and wins.

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007
LOCAL CACTUS EATS CYCLIST - datakoll

Hmm. Mixed feelings about this one. While I hate to see someone who had
the guts to join the NYPD in the first place lose his career over a few
seconds of testosterone-induced bad judgment, it goes without saying that
this type of reckless bravado can't be tolerated. Who knows what he might
have done next, say, in a heated situation where guns were drawn...

On Feb 20, 5:10 am, Jym Dyer wrote:
NYPD fires rookie cop caught on YouTube video bashing bicyclist
By Alison Gendar
New York Daily News | Thursday, 19-Feb-2009, 8:57 PM
Message-ID: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_c...9-02-19_nypd_f...

[Video Linked to from Online Story]

A rookie cop accused of body-slamming a bicyclist during a
Times Square rally has been fired by the NYPD, police confirmed
Thursday.

Police Officer Patrick Pogan, 23, was fired by the department
Feb. 10, police confirmed.

Pogan was barely out of the academy when he was caught on video
tackling cyclist Christopher Long at a Critical Mass cyclist
rally in July.

The video became a hit on YouTube, and Pogan was brought up on
criminal charges in December for assault, harassment and filing
a bogus police report.

Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said the YouTube
video and witness accounts contradict Pogan's written report
accusing Long of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and
obstructing government administration.

Charges against Long were dismissed.

Pogan, a former high school football offensive lineman and
the son of a retired NYPD detective, pleaded not guilty to
the criminal charges.

He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

Yeah, commits a crime on tape in front of witnesses in July, but still
gets full pay and benefits until December? Where is the justice in
that? He should have to pay back every cent to the people. Of course
I'm still bitter about getting hit by a city vehicle in TX and the
cops saying they couldn't find the vehicle or driver.

Opus

I don't think it was the "few seconds of testosterone-induced bad
judgment" that got him fired, but the lying about it and laying of
false charges in an attempt to cover it up.
I'm actually more concerned that his more experienced colleagues don't
seem to have been brought to book, despite backing him up.

I guess I didn't follow this story closely enough after the fact to comment
on it.
I was not aware that he tried to cover it up.

As an investigator, I work with a lot of NYC cops. They have a very tight
bond
with one another that, frankly, makes me a little jealous. Sometimes, being
part of
such a close-knit fraternity means you have to look out for the other guy no
matter
what he does or how you feel about it. That's how cops guarantee that other
cops
will have their ass when there's a gun in their face or when the Twin Towers
are falling.

The guy who hit the bicyclist made a bad judgment call that night --
probably one of many
he has made and will continue to make in his life. He should pay a price
that will, hopefully,
force him to take a good look at himself. I don't think his buddies on the
force should be
brought into this.

On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:37:34 -0800 (PST), Opus
wrote:

On Feb 20, 5:10 am, Jym Dyer wrote:
NYPD fires rookie cop caught on YouTube video bashing bicyclist
By Alison Gendar
New York Daily News | Thursday, 19-Feb-2009, 8:57 PM
Message-ID: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_c...9-02-19_nypd_f...

[Video Linked to from Online Story]

A rookie cop accused of body-slamming a bicyclist during a
Times Square rally has been fired by the NYPD, police confirmed
Thursday.

Police Officer Patrick Pogan, 23, was fired by the department
Feb. 10, police confirmed.

Pogan was barely out of the academy when he was caught on video
tackling cyclist Christopher Long at a Critical Mass cyclist
rally in July.

The video became a hit on YouTube, and Pogan was brought up on
criminal charges in December for assault, harassment and filing
a bogus police report.

Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said the YouTube
video and witness accounts contradict Pogan's written report
accusing Long of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and
obstructing government administration.

Charges against Long were dismissed.

Pogan, a former high school football offensive lineman and
the son of a retired NYPD detective, pleaded not guilty to
the criminal charges.

He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

Yeah, commits a crime on tape in front of witnesses in July, but still
gets full pay and benefits until December? Where is the justice in
that? He should have to pay back every cent to the people. Of course
I'm still bitter about getting hit by a city vehicle in TX and the
cops saying they couldn't find the vehicle or driver.

Opus

This should be a lesson to all you bike riders in NYC; always carry a
video recording device. It's the only thing cops are afraid of.

On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:04:59 -0500, Papa Tom wrote:

I don't think his buddies on the force should be
brought into this.

Unfortunately they brought themselves into it when they lied to cover it
up.

Unfortunately they brought themselves into it when they lied to cover it
up.

As I said in an earlier post, when you're a cop (and you want to continue
being a cop), sometimes you don't have much choice in a matter like that.
I'm not saying it's right. I'm just saying that's how it is. Let's applaud
the fact that the guy directly involved didn't walk away (as they too often
do) and let's be done with this.

Papa Tom aka Tom Montalbano wrote:
Unfortunately they brought themselves into it when they lied to cover it
up.

As I said in an earlier post, when you're a cop (and you want to continue
being a cop), sometimes you don't have much choice in a matter like that.
I'm not saying it's right. I'm just saying that's how it is. Let's applaud
the fact that the guy directly involved didn't walk away (as they too often
do) and let's be done with this.


All the more reason why police should be overseen by citizen boards with
the power to suspend and terminate employment.

Let police go to far, and they become more of a danger than criminals.

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007
LOCAL CACTUS EATS CYCLIST - datakoll