A white policeman was disciplined after acting “in a
discourteous manner” when he ordered the NYPD’s highest-ranking black officer to
get out of his car, an agency spokesman said Saturday, according to the
Associated Press.
It seems that Chief Douglas Zeigler, the head of the NYPD’s
Community Affairs Bureau and the highest uniformed black officer on the force,
was off duty and sitting in his vehicle on a street in Queens
on May 2, when two white policemen approached. Officer Michael Granahan tried
to wrest open Zeigler’s door, even after the chief identified himself, police
spokesman Paul Browne declared.
“He dealt with the chief in a discourteous manner, which is
unacceptable,” Browne said, quoted by the A.P. He did not mention why the
policemen decided to question Zeigler and he did not specify what discipline
was taken by the department. However, The News said the officer was stripped of
his gun and badge Friday, pending a departmental investigation.
Zeigler is the head of the Community Affairs Bureau since January
2006. Neldra Ziegler, his wife, is the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for equal
employment opportunity.
“Something is wrong with our Police Department and their interactions
with people of color,” said State Sen. Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn), a former police
captain.
Meanwhile, Granahan’s father, Richard, blamed Zeigler for the incident. He
said the 60-year-old was in a department SUV parked at a hydrant in Corona with tinted windows
rolled up and the engine off. When Michael Granahan and his partner ran the
license plate, it was listed to a rental agency, and they approached. It appears
the anti-crime cops had made a gun arrest in the area just a week before.
According to Richard Granahan, his son demanded Zeigler to roll down his
windows completely, but the driver “rolled down all four slightly.” Granahan's
partner saw the driver fumble at his waistband and screamed, “Gun!” Granahan tried
to wrest open Zeigler’s door and the head of the NYPD’s Community Affairs Bureau
stepped out from the vehicle saying “Don't you know who I am?”
The Ziegler incident was reported as police officers are being criticized
for stopping record numbers of pedestrians, nearly 145, 000, in the first quarter
of this year. The majority were black or Hispanic, the A.P reports.
