Outspoken NYPD Sergeant says he was blocked from promotion because he stands by Colin Kaepernick
When a NYPD officer speaks up in defense of Colin Kaepernick and Black lives, it definitely raises some eyebrows.
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When one of police officers from the New York Police Department (NYPD) — a department with a history of racial profiling and police brutality speaks up in defense of Colin Kaepernick and Black lives, it definitely raises some eyebrows.
Unfortunately, it seems as if NYPD Sergeant Edwin Raymond is paying for his support of the blackballed quarterback and says he is being blocked from a promotion by the department. Raymond scored No. 26 out of 1,325 sergeants on the lieutenants’ test and should have then been promoted, that is until allegations were suddenly filed by other officers in his command regarding his handling of two domestic violence complaints.
“It is unfortunate. I did a press conference in support of Colin Kaepernick, using his status to put a spotlight on issues in policing that need to be fixed,” Raymond, 33, told The New York Daily News. “Because of the controversy a lot of cops criticized him. Me being aligned with him was seen as standing with the enemy.”
The NYPD declined comment. However, a senior official said the department received complaints involving Raymond’s conduct in enforcing orders of protection and is looking into the allegations, which stem from an incident on Sept. 17, 2017 as officers in his unit responded to a domestic violence call in Brooklyn. A woman saw an ex-boyfriend and called 911. When the police got there, they checked their phone and saw an order of protection, but say that Raymond simply let him go.
My promotion to Sergeant was wrongfully (unlawfully) denied in December of 2015. My wonderful sister-in-law who I first met in 2011 after my father died, along with other family and close… https://t.co/WNwmINMnZG
— Edwin Raymond (@LionHeart817) September 29, 2018
My promotion to Sergeant was wrongfully (unlawfully) denied in December of 2015. My wonderful sister-in-law who I first met in 2011 after my father died, along with other family and close… https://t.co/H7B2TBFBOj
— Edwin Raymond (@LionHeart817) September 29, 2018
Raymond, who was featured in the documentary “Crime and Punishment,” calls this claim “nonsense.” According to Raymond, the man was sitting in his car with his current girlfriend when the unnamed ex, with whom he has three kids, walked by.
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The woman grabbed a baseball bat and broke his car mirror. The unnamed man fled from the car and called 911 while the ex ran into her mother’s building.
Raymond arrived at the scene and spoke with the man, who asked the cop not to arrest her.
“She’s the mother of my kids,” the unnamed man said. “The damage to my car won’t cost anything.”
Raymond says he told the responding officers not to arrest him. The cops, noting the protection order, wanted to arrest him, according to Raymond. The man also had 20 prior arrests.
“I said, ‘That doesn’t change today’s circumstances,’” Raymond said. “It was nonsense. They (the cops) completely manipulated the situation. They turned the woman into the victim.”
Raymond says he made the judgment call not to arrest him. Shortly after, the other officers in his unit went to Internal Affairs.
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“These cops went thinking the numbers would give their claims more plausibility, and unfortunately the department is choosing to entertain this and use it as a dagger to end my promotion,” Raymond said. “They are not happy with me. I don’t enjoy having to speak out, but it’s historically what makes the department budge.”
Playing a numbers game
Raymond has also been outspoken about the issue of NYPD’s quota system.
“Quota-driven broken windows policing causes more collateral damage — arrests and summonses for their own sake,” he said. “It doesn’t affect crime.”
Ed Mullins, the president of the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association, said the case is another example of a double-standard in the department’s disciplinary system.
“Decisions are made on the sly, and there are people who have pending charges and still get promoted, and others whose promotions are held back for reasons that are never explained,” Mullins said. “If this doesn’t appear to be retaliation, then I don’t know what is.”
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