another cop threw his dignity, self respect, and livelihood away for peanuts




he opened up a can of worms by getting caught in the sting



Long Island Exchange: Online Newspaper, Guide to Long Island New York




21 Latinos Charge Suffolk Police with Condoning Alleged 10-Year Crime Spree Against Latinos in Federal Class Action Lawsuit



(Long Island, NY) Twenty-one Latinos in Long Island filed a federal class action civil rights lawsuit Thursday, alleging that multiple officers in the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) systematically targeted them and other Latinos for unfounded, race-based stops after which they were either robbed or given unjustified traffic citations. They also charge the SCPD needlessly permitted this practice to continue within its ranks for 10 years, a crime spree that left local Latinos too afraid to drive their cars, leave their homes or interact with the police.

This lawsuit comes a year after former SCPD Sgt. Scott Greene was arrested after being caught on camera taking money from a Latino driver he had pulled over while on duty during an undercover officer sting operation. Make the Road New York and LatinoJustice PRLDEF soon learned from dozens of victims who had been too afraid, or thought it pointless, to complain about widespread police criminality. The victims assert that one or more officers would, in clear violation of police rules, get a hold of the victim’s wallet and then return it a few minutes later with one or two hundred dollars missing.

Attorneys from LatinoJustice PRLDEF and the law firm Shearman & Sterling LLP, working on a pro bono basis, are representing the plaintiffs.

“People of color should be able to walk and drive the streets of Suffolk County without fear of being harassed and robbed, not by street criminals, but by SCPD officers,” said Juan Cartagena, President and General Counsel of LatinoJustice PRLDEF. “The Constitution and civil rights laws of this country demand nothing less from any law enforcement agency, and it is based upon those laws that we have commenced this action.”