Federal Judge Expands Drunk Cop Shooting Lawsuit to Include Claims of NYPDs “Indifference to Alcohol

[TexasTowelie]

Federal Judge Expands Drunk Cop Shooting Lawsuit to Include Claims of NYPDs “Indifference to Alcoholism” at Training Facility

NEW YORK, NY — July 15, 2016 — Federal District Court Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein has allowed expansion of two federal lawsuits brought by Joseph Felice and Robert Borrelli, two unsuspecting businessmen driving home from playing hockey on April 29, 2014, who were shot at fourteen times by drunk NYPD police officer Brendan Cronin. Felice, who was sitting in the passenger seat of Borrelli’s car was struck six times and gravely wounded after the car stopped at a red light, Cronin emerged from the shadows, retrieved his NYPD service weapon from the back seat of his parked car and opened fire on the two men.

Cronin, who is serving a nine year sentence after pleading guilty to attempted murder, assault and driving while intoxicated, admitted to drinking with his supervisor, Sergeant Edwin Ching, and other officers during their lunch break while undergoing training in how to conduct high intensity car stops in drug trafficking areas at the NYPD’s Rodman’s Neck training facility. After the officers were released early from training, Cronin, Ching and at least one other officer returned to the same City Island bar and continued drinking – with Cronin admitting to consuming several beers and shots of whiskey before getting into his car with his service weapon to drive home.

Judge Hellerstein’s order granted the Plaintiffs permission, over the City of New York’s objections, to name in the lawsuit two NYPD training supervisors, Lt. Kevin Brown and Sergeant Joseph Simonetti, because “the proposed amended complaint shows the participation and alleged responsibility of these defendants, either directly or in furthering an “atmosphere of indifference to alcoholism by police trainees under their supervision”.

According to attorney Debra S. Cohen, of the law firm Newman Ferrara LLP, “The public should be able to expect zero tolerance for alcohol abuse by police officers, particularly while on-duty, driving cars, or in possession of their service weapons. If the NYPD’s own trainers aren’t enforcing this, then who is?”.

http://www.yonkerstribune.com/2016/07/federal-judge-expands-drunk-cop-shooting-lawsuit-to-include-claims-of-nypds-indifference-to-alcoholism-at-training-facility