Posted on 08/21/2015 7:20:18 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey on Friday ordered that a uniformed officer be taken off street patrol and ordered his gun taken from him after Facebook videos surfaced showing the officer pressuring a motorist to buy tickets for an upcoming police union fund-raiser.
In the videos, Officer Matthew Zagursky tells a driver that if he buys tickets to the fund-raiser he will not tow his vehicle. The officer also uses a homophobic slur while apparently joking with the man at another point.
Ramsey said he took action swiftly, after being shown the videos at a morning briefing Friday by his chief of patrol, Deputy Commissioner Kevin Bethel.
He said Zagursky, 32, a nine-year veteran, apparently had done something "illegal" and was an "embarrassment" to the force.
"Nothing he did was right," Ramsey said.
The commissioner said Zagursky had not been suspended and would continue to work pending the outcome of an internal affairs probe, which he also ordered Friday.
Friday afternoon, an officer who answered the phone at the 24th District, where Zagursky is assigned, said the officer was not on duty. He could not be reached for comment. Steve Weiler, vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police's Lodge 5, did not return a reporter's calls.
Details about when the traffic stop occurred and even the identities of the motorist and passenger of the pulled-over vehicle remained unknown, Ramsey said.
Investigators would attempt to trace that information electronically, working off the Facebook page on which two brief videos, taped from within the vehicle, were posted. That page belonged to an account administered by someone with the user name Rob Stay Faded.
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
And this is why I write off my traffic tickets.
Union Thugs with Guns! We need to disallow cops and FF’s to be unionized!
Yeah, ‘cause Philly cops don’t have any real police work to do.
It’s so nice that families can picnic 2 blocks down from the only NFL stadium with it’s own jail cell and courtroom.
The city of Brotherly Love, doncha know.
Severe /s off.
They’re not at all disturbed about what he did —they’re agitated and took action only cuz he was FOUND OUT, a really huge difference.
The cop more or less ROBBED the guy.
They will absolutely DO that, these days.
You’re a good guy, polite and no record, and they ROB you.
If it happened to me and it happened to this guy, it can happen to YOU.
Ping
I couldn’t agree more. With over 30 years as a cop (ret.), paying the union “vig” out of every paycheck and receiving no benefits for my tithe other than the privilege of keeping my job ... police unions are worthless.
On then one occasion that I asked for union help in a legal matter (job related), I was told to seek civilian counsel. BS
I appreciate your comments. There was this near here recently:
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4299394-181/video-captures-rohnert-park-police
The PD union rep. is defending what this officer did. It’s not unlike the Teacher’s Unions defending poor teachers. We are ill-served by protecting anyone in a public job (particularly public safety) from warranted discipline.
These kinds of actions serve to diss those in law enforcement who are dedicated and decent, and we need them.
Sounds like extortion to me, which is a criminal act. The cop shouldn’t be given a desk job, the cop should face criminal charges. And those who defended his actions should be fired or also face accessory charges.
N.B. Extortion: “the practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats.”
Cops are union thugs first, then....well, they’re union thugs.
...I was told to seek civilian counsel.
Cops are civilians.
Is there brotherly love in the City of Brotherly Love? I would answer yes. The brothers love to beat the hell out of Whites and anyone else they can. The brothers love to rob Whites and anyone else that has something to be robbed for. the brothers love to kill each other and anyone else that gives them the opportunity. The City of Brotherly Love abounds with love. One has only to know where to look.
LOL
Please don’t love me anymore, brother!
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