NYC cop sues over ‘get out of jail free’ playing cards used to keep away from site visitors tickets

A New York City police officer is taking authorized motion in opposition to the division over what he calls the “get out of jail free” playing cards which can be given to the family and friends members of cops.

Traffic cop Mathew Bianchi is accusing his superiors of retaliating in opposition to him for handing out citations to a number of drivers regardless of being introduced with the “courtesy cards.”

Mr. Bianchi stated he first witnessed the playing cards on obligation throughout a site visitors cease in November 2018.

He says in his lawsuit that the Police Benevolent Association, town’s largest police union that distributes the playing cards, warned him he would lose union safety if he saved doling out tickets to cardholders.

Mr. Bianchi says in his lawsuit that his enforcement ethics resulted in a demotion final September when he gave a ticket to a card-carrying good friend of NYPD Chief of Police Jeffrey Maddrey.

The demotion concerned transferring Mr. Bianchi from his daytime site visitors shift to nighttime patrol.

The site visitors cop’s lawsuit, filed final month, argues that the NYPD violated his free speech rights to talk out about a difficulty of public concern.

More particularly, the lawsuit argues that the courtesy playing cards characterize “widespread corruption, illegal practices and the manipulation of issuance” of site visitors tickets. The topics of the lawsuit are town and a police captain who wasn’t named in stories.

The playing cards are sometimes used to keep away from tickets in low-level offenses, together with operating a purple gentle or rushing.

In concept, the playing cards are meant for household and pals near the police officer who bought them. The lawsuit says officers should purchase 30 per 12 months for under $1. 

Mr. Bianchi contends the playing cards are exchanged for small favors, corresponding to meal reductions.