Earlier today ex-tennis star James Blakesaid that James Frascatore, the cop who wrongfully attacked and handcuffed him outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City, doesn't deserve his badge. It turns out Blake isn't the only one who thinks so. According to a WNYCinvestigation back in December, Frascatore has had more complaints filed against him than 90 percent of his fellow active officers: five complaints in almost as many months.
Included in the WNYC report is the story of Warren Diggs and his girlfriend, Nafeesah Hines, who filed complaints against several NYPD officers back in April 2013. According to the report, "Cops stopped Diggs months earlier for riding his bike on the sidewalk, wrestled him to the ground in his own driveway, and arrested him for marijuana possession and resisting arrest. They arrested [Hines] after she had one of her kids take the bike he was riding inside."
Diggs used his phone to record audio of the entire incident. In the recording Hines can be heard repeatedly asking the officers to back away from her and, in one instance, not to touch her. One officer demands over and over that Hines retrieve Diggs' bike, but arrests her after she attempts to get it and tells her she's going to jail "because she doesn't listen." Throughout the clip, children are wailing in the background.
Diggs and Hines used the clip to back up their claims that Frascatore refused to give Hines his name and shield number. It also disproved key points in Frascatore's testimony. He alleged that when he asked Hines for the bike she responded, "Fuck you, I'm taking the bike inside." He also claims that there was a dramatic tug-of-war over the bike, which obviously never happened.
Unsurprisingly, there's no evidence that Frascatore was disciplined for this or any other incident that resulted in a claim against the NYPD. When asked, the department refused to provide WNYC with basic information like Frascatore's rank and current assignment. Although they've already apologized for the James Blake incident, it's evident the NYPD should've stripped Frascatore of his badge long ago.
