By Kirstan Conley
The NYPD detectives union threatened to revoke its endorsement of any City Council member who supports the “bias profiling” bill up for a vote tonight.
“Any legislator who supports an irresponsible bill like this is not worthy of the political support of men and woman who risk their lives behind the gold shield,” said Michael Palladino, president of the Detectives Endowment Association, which represents more than 16,000 active and retired cops.
“This issue is larger than politics. Therefore the DEA will revoke the endorsement of any and all city council members who support this measure,” Palladino told The Post.
The union endorsed 30 candidates, but said the bill under consideration could expose current and former cops to a flood of bias lawsuits and also hamper the NYPD’s efforts to maintain historically low crime rates.
“The bias profiling bill is the single most irresponsible piece of legislation I have ever seen,” Palladino said. “It threatens the safety of the public and is in conflict with what detectives represent.”
It was not immediately clear whether other NYPD unions would follow suit, but those representing rank-and-file cops, lieutenants and captains have already come out in force against the bill.
The Post exclusively reported last week on a campaign against the bill by the Captains Endowment Association and the Lieutenants’ Benevolent Association.
The captains union placed an ad in The Post showing a blindfolded office standing in Times Square with the caption: “How effective is a police officer with a blindfold on?”
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and Mayor Bloomberg also oppose the proposed bill, saying it would prevent cops from describing a crime suspect’s race or ethnicity and could lead to the removal of security cameras from high crime neighborhoods.
DEA Vice President Paul DiGiacomo said the police department would turn into a “reactive department instead of a proactive department” if the legislation passes.
“There have been several incidents in the last couple of months where children were shot by stray bullets,” he said. “They have been paralyzed and killed. It’s something I’d hate to see happen on a regular basis. Crime will have nowhere to go but up because police won’t be able to do their jobs.”
Proponents defended the bill as the vote neared.
“New Yorkers are tired of having their civil rights violated and being told patronizingly that it’s for their own good,” Priscilla Gonzalez of Communities United for Police Reform said in a statement today.
