NYC Detectives’ Union Vows to Sue Violent Protesters

Paul DiGiacomo, president of the Detectives' Endowment Association, said that he would sue any protestor, rioter, or looter that attacked its members. The union has represented around 19,000 current and former detectives.

“If you assault a New York City Detective and there are no consequences from the criminal justice system, we have to have other means to protect our detectives,” DiGiacomo said.

“It's heart-wrenching because they are out there doing a job under very difficult circumstances, he also said. He mentioned that there are people “trying to protect the innocent people that are protesting while the criminal element is within that group, assaulting, looting and victimizing not only police officers and detectives out there, but also the people of the city.”

The Lawsuit

Fox News reported that the Union filed the first lawsuit against a looting suspect. The said person allegedly stole from a pharmacy in Manhattan. The suspect also reportedly attacked Detective Joseph Nicolosi. Nicolosi claimed to be injured in the struggle when the suspect resisted arrest.

“They've had urine thrown at them, rocks thrown at them, shot at, assaulted. I don't know how much more they could take a day of putting up with a lot out there. And, you know, they are the finest in the world and they are doing a fabulous job, but they are being demonized by the elected officials,” DiGiacomo said.

According to civil rights attorney Ron Kuby, “this is not a new tactic by the police.”

“This was tried back in the 1990s in New York City,” Kuby then added. It was “at another time when there was a great deal of unrest,” the lawyer also mentioned. “And ultimately, it didn't work.”

If the detectives wanted to sue citizens, they have to surrender the legal restrictions protecting them, Kuby said.

“If the police want to use the civil law as a tool in their policing, those of us who pay their salaries have the opportunity now to engage in some real reform, which is, stop the indemnification of cops, stop the free lawyers for the police, stop the qualified immunity for the police – and we'll see how that works out for them,” Kuby also said.

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