CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER JONATHAN DIENST ON CRIME, CORRUPTION AND TERRORISM.
Cop in Viral Uber Rant Video Apologizes, Says Emotions Got the Better of Him
By Jonathan Dienst, Kevin Nious and Ann Givens
TRENDING STORIES
NBC 4 New York's Jonathan Dienst sat down with the cop who was caught screaming and cursing at an Uber driver in a video that went viral and led to the officer being stripped of his badge. (Published Friday, Apr 3, 2015)
Updated 52 minutes ago
Interesting question: What about when the tables are turned on people in Law Enforcement, as in this story?
I only have one comment to make: I have been in cabs in NYC where the driver was pulled over (unfairly) by an officer and browbeaten ( but nothing like this case)-- in these cases I stuck to the typical NY'er stance of "Don't Get Involved", but in one case I was sorely tempted to either report the cop or see what I could do to testify in favor of the driver to keep him from losing his license etc. ( which he told me after the ticketing was going to happen in a sobbing rant that got to the Bleeding-Heart-Liberal in me...but after checking with people who know the score on these things, I decided I was better of not getting involved...one cop I know defended the ticketing cop ( who was an incredibly nasty African American officer, by the way) saying "Oh, the driver has probably broken the laws so many times it's ridiculous,--so, this time he got caught, that's all-- even if he was innocent this time."
As for the abuse? " You know what a tough job cops have, sometimes they just lose it a little...it was all just verbal abuse, anyway, I am sure that driver can shrug that off without being traumatized for Life or something...save your sympathy for people who really deserve it!"
Well, you could say that about the cop in question here, too, I suppose, now that the shoe is on the other foot/ I mean, how many other drivers has he abused?
Finally, to me it is just another case of "Life in the Big City," where the most common sentiment among cops and civilians both is " Hey, we live in a world where Nobody is "innocent,"-- sometimes you get caught and sometimes you don't!"
Maybe the only moral to the story IS " Don't get caught."
Not a great moral it seems especially on Easter weekend,
but is nevertheless the prevailing one, at least here in the Big Apple.
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/New-York-NYC-NYPD-Taxi-Driver-Uber-Cop-Video-Tirade-NYC-Detective-298585531.html
The NYPD detective seen on video screaming and cursing at an Uber driver in a roadside tirade earlier this week apologized Friday for his actions, telling NBC 4 New York in an exclusive interview that he hopes to buy the driver dinner.
"I apologize. I sincerely apologize," said detective Patrick Cherry, whose tirade was captured by one of the car’s passengers and posted on YouTube, where it has been viewed more than 3 million times.
Cherry’s apology comes after the detective was stripped of his badge and gun and transferred out of the FBI's elite Joint Terrorism Task Force. Police Commissioner Bill Bratton also admonished Cherry after the video went viral online, saying “No good cop can watch that without a wince”, and the NYPD and independent Civilian Complaint Review Board have been investigating the exchange.
"People shouldn’t be treated that way. I let my emotions get the better of me and I was angry," Cherry said. "My intention was to be courteous and then we got into an argument. There was no intention to berate or hurt deeply the driver."
NYPD Officer in Uber Rant Speaks Out
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Cherry told NBC4 New York that the video, which shows him cursing at the driver and screaming, “How long have you been in this country?” misses what prompted the confrontation. He said the driver pulled up fast behind him as he was trying to park his unmarked patrol car on a West Village street Monday. The driver was honking and gesturing angrily, Cherry said.
That was when he turned his emergency lights on to “clarify the problem.” He said the driver then refused to turn over his license and registration, and that’s when Cherry lost his temper.
"When I walked up, I was uptight. I wanted to know what the problem was," Cherry said. "I felt his driving actions were discourteous and impolite and when he stopped he said, 'I'm not going to give you anything."'
Sanjay Seth, the Uber passenger who filmed the incident from the back seat, responded to Cherry's account of the altercation in the NBC 4 New York interview, tweeting: "I question part of Detective Cherry's interpretation of the incident in his recent apology."
Cabbies Say Video of Cop's Rant Sheds Light on Abuses They Suffer
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"CCRB needs to sort out the facts," Seth said, referring to the Civilian Complaint Review Board.
Taxi drivers rallied Thursday to call for Cherry to apologize; they said they didn't want him to lose his job, but hope the fall-out from the altercation would spur better treatment for cab drivers from the NYPD. Another rally was planned outside New York Penn Station Friday.
The police union has defended Cherry, saying the reaction to the confrontation overstates its significance.
On the video, Cherry can be seen apparently imitating the driver’s accent and asking how many years he’s lived in this country. Asked about that, Cherry said race and ethnicity had "nothing to do with it."
WATCH: Uber Passenger Captures Menacing Rant
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“There’s no reasonable way to determine who is driving facing away from me,” he said. “No reasonable way to determine in a few short seconds where someone skin color race or religion is going to play a factor in something that short.”
Cherry said that he is willing to take the department’s punishment, and is willing to do whatever is asked of him in his new role. He also says that the three-minute video doesn’t reflect the way he or his fellow men and women in blue carry themselves on a day-to-day basis.
The incident comes as New York Police officers are being trained in how to engage courteously with the public. Cherry said he feels badly that his behavior will reflect on a department that is working hard on its public image.
“You can’t judge three minutes of tape that that is the common practice of the New York Police Department,” he said. “At the end of the day it’s simply one individual who got angry."
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Published at 2:21 PM EDT on Apr 3, 2015
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