New York's Finest?

Many hold New York City’s police department in high esteem. They are praised as heroes, as New York's finest. When we watch television shows like Law and Order, we see the men and women of the NYPD as the "good guys," the one's who protect New Yorkers, keeping criminals off the streets. When we watch media coverage of events, the NYPD is showcased as a presence that brings order. This was especially true after the events of 9/11 when the police were praised as heroes, truly, New York’s finest.

However, after living New York City for over two years now, I have come to doubt the truth to this stereotype of New York’s police being the “finest.” I believe that this belief that of the NYPD as these great guys who bring order is completely mediated by the shows we watch on Television, from the nightly news, to scripted dramas that have been broadcasted for generations (from Dragnet which dates back to radio, to the CSI franchise today). In reality, I don’t think that they NYPD are necessarily the “good guys.” While I respect their positions as an authority power, sometimes, I do not think that they act in the public’s best interest.

For instance, today, I attended the Yankee Ticker Tape Parade in Lower Manhattan. There, initially the police were acting dutifully as a patrolling force. When people who were trying to get a better look were standing dangerously on scaffolding, the police stopped them as they knew that scaffolding is not necessarily sturdy. They kept the crowd somewhat controlled behind barricades (which, even though it sucked for the view, it meant that people who got there earlier to get good spots along the routes could see). However, eventually, the police moved these barricades, allow people who arrived just as the parade started to rush the streets, and completely screw over the people who had been waiting for hours. They stopped caring if people were standing dangerously on the scaffolding, which was clearly bending because of the weight placed on it. And I even saw one police officer talking to a man blatantly drinking in the middle of the street, without once telling the man that public drinking of this sort was illegal (and while it was arguably a celebratory parade, and people like to drink when they celebrate, it was 11 in the morning, there were kids all around).

This police force, which was supposed to provide order, instead provided chaos- people were throwing things other than “confetti” (one person standing near me was hit by a wet diaper) and kids who looked no older than 16 were clearly enjoying a bud light or two. The smell of illegal drugs even filled the air. And the police did absolutely nothing but ignore all of this. While, yes, it was a celebratory day, this was just reprehensible because you couldn’t celebrate when there was just outright chaos. In the end, I wonder why the police were even there today, because they provided no order whatsoever, and clearly were not the “finest.”

But tonight I am sure the news will praise the police for their hard work today. And the pictures put in tomorrow’s newspaper will show the police and their barricades keeping “order.” And people who did not attend the festivities will continue to see the police in this mediated way, as New York’s best men and women serving their city in the best way they can. The media continues to portray these officers as heroes, when today, their actions were anything but heroic.