By Dave Goldiner and Thomas Tracy
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — The NYPD has been drowning in humiliating water drenching videos this week, and President Trump used the issue to take a swipe at a political rival.
As a fifth video of city cops getting doused surfaced Thursday — a 15-second clip posted by the Sergeant’s Benevolent Association showing a young man dumping the contents of a green bucket onto a cop in a city park in Brooklyn while another group hits a second cop with water guns — Trump faulted Mayor de Blasio for the blatant displays of disrespect towards the police.
“It’s time for (Mayor Bill de Blasio) to STAND UP for those who protect our lives and serve us all so well,” Trump tweeted.
“What took place was completely unacceptable, and will not be tolerated,” he added.
Although Trump rarely sounds off on New York stories these days, he maintains an avid interest in needling de Blasio, who is engaged in a longshot run for the Democratic presidential nomination.
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Hizzoner quickly shot back at the president by declaring he considers the incident “illegal, inappropriate, and not acceptable.”
“I want to make it clear here, anybody who interferes with the work of a police officer is going to be charged and is going to suffer the consequences,” de Blasio said.
The video posted by the SBA shows the cops, much like in the other clips posted this week, seemingly take the embarrassing soaking in stride.
“ANOTHER WATER TOSSING VIDEO,” the union said in a tweet. “No more MEMO’s- DEFEND YOURSELF before YOU get seriously injured or KILLED. These buckets can contain ACID, BLEACH or other CHEMICALS.”
The SBA also poked fun at Police Commissioner James O’Neill, who the union has nicknamed “O’Kneel” while claiming he’s kowtowed to de Blasio’s wishes.
“O’KNEEL MUST GO, take the CLOWNS with you!” the union said. “No CONFIDENCE”
The video is the latest to surface that shows youths drenching cops while the officers fail to respond. A video released late Wednesday, believed to have been recorded in the Bronx on Tuesday shows a group of people dousing two female cops.
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The NYPD on Thursday was trying to determine where and when these recent videos were recorded.
“We are looking into the matter,” NYPD spokesman Sgt. Mary Frances O’Donnell said. “NYPD police officers courageously work to address crime and disorder while facing unknown circumstances each time they respond to a call. This type of behavior is reprehensible and will not be tolerated.”
A police source with knowledge of the case said that detectives have identified two of the people drenching cops in the Bronx video, but no arrests have been made.
Cops have begun a full-court press looking for the suspects in two other videos taken on Saturday, one in Harlem, the other in Brownsville, Brooklyn, that show cops getting drenched.
Courtney Thompson, 28, turned himself in at the 73rd Precinct stationhouse for the Brooklyn soaking where NYPD officers were openly mocked and splashed with water by a crowd of 15 to 20 local youths at E. New York Ave. near Herzl St.
Four people have been arrested for the street incident that led to cops getting doused — and one of them hit in the head with an empty bucket — as they apprehended two suspects near St. Nicholas Ave. and W. 115th St. late Saturday, although no one has been charged with drenching the officers.
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Meanwhile, the NYPD later issued an unusual directive to all cops reminding them that they can charge anyone who tosses water on them with disorderly conduct and other crimes.
The Legal Aid Society lashed out at that edict Thursday as a “disproportionate” response to young people “playing.”
“Young people are getting arrested for splashing water on 100-degree days while officers who have killed and seriously injured people ... barely get a slap on the wrist,” declared Anne Oredeko, a Legal Aid lawyer.
©2019 New York Daily News