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NYPD officers used WhatsApp during violent arrest, had no radios
New video from a violent narcotics arrest in Brooklyn show one detective complaining about fellow officers not having radios on them during the arrest. Instead, the officers were relying on WhatsApp to communicate
NEW YORK - New video from the now-viral arrest of a man in a Brooklyn liquor store last week is raising questions about NYPD procedure, as it appears to show officers relying on WhatsApp to communicate during the altercation, not police radios.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: NYPD officers' violent arrest caught on video; Mamdani calls it 'extremely disturbing'
Brooklyn arrest video goes viral
The backstory:
Timothy Brown was arrested last week at a Brooklyn liquor store. Video of the arrest quickly went viral, showing two narcotics detectives from Brooklyn North repeatedly punching and kicking him, dragging him to the ground and to the front of the store. Detectives thought Brown was a part of a drug deal because he matched the description of a suspect. Brown was not the suspect.
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NYPD investigating violent arrest caught on camera
Two NYPD officers are being placed on modified duty after video surfaced of an arrest that quickly took a violent and chaotic turn.
In that viral video, one of the arresting detectives is seen on his phone, first texting, then dialing, trying to get backup. Instead of using a police radio, the detective was apparently trying to contact officers through WhatsApp.
New video obtained by FOX 5 NY's Linda Schmidt shows the scene outside the store immediately after the arrest. In the new video, the same detective can be heard complaining about other officers not having radios on them.
" Any of these guys don't get a radio ASAP, I'm making a big f***ing problem. I'm not doing this WhatsApp s*** no more," the detective shouts. He later added, "How are these f***ing guys coming to work unprepared? No one does anything.
The interaction is drawing criticism from former law enforcement members like former NYPD Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard.
"If this had been the right guy, and he had a firearm on him, they would have to use WhatsApp to call or backup. That's insane," Sheppard said.
Sheppard says narcotics detectives put their lives on the line, and that it's dangerous work that requires the proper equipment, like bulletproof vests, tasers and radios.
"You should have a radio on you to get help when you need it, and as you see, that was the problem here," Sheppard said. "It took so long for them to find where their guys were, and to be able to communicate.
Detectives put on modified duty
What's next:
But officers' lack of radios was not the only deviation from policy during last week's arrest. The NYPD's policy requires narcotics detectives who are making arrests to wear body cameras. The detectives in the video were not.
RELATED: NYPD disbands unit after violent Brooklyn arrest video
Last week, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced the two detectives in the arrest video were put on modified duty, stripped of their guns and badges. Their sergeant and six additional Brooklyn North Narcotics detectives have also been placed on modified duty. Those detectives, a lieutenant and the captain who oversaw the unit have also been transferred to other precincts.
The NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating how last week's arrest was handled. The chief of the department is also conducting a 90-day review of the department's entire narcotics division and the use of WhatsApp.
The Source: Information in this story is from reporting by FOX 5 NY's Linda Schmidt and previous FOX 5 NY reports.