An outspoken police union leader has sued the city, the NYPD and a civilian watchdog group for allegedly trying to punish him for the fiery rhetoric he posts on Twitter.
Sgt. Ed Mullins, the head of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, claimed in the suit filed Friday in Manhattan federal court that the Civilian Complaint Review Board and the NYPD have violated his First Amendment rights by trying to punish him for his statements on social media.
Mullins claimed in the suit that he’s been interrogated repeatedly by officials from the Internal Affairs Bureau for posting bombastic missives on his union’s Twitter account.
“Mullins objected to the interrogations on the grounds that his speech was protected by the First Amendment and that he was speaking in his capacity as SBA President on a union platform at the time he made his public statements,” the suit states.
The department also subpoenaed Mullins’ phone records and those of his son, according to the suit.
The Civilian Complaint Review Board has also recommended disciplinary charges after Mullins made a number of incendiary tweets from the SBA’s account, which he claims violate his First Amendment rights.
Mullins included examples of several tweets he sent that brought heat on him, including once when he called Bronx US Rep. Ritchie Torres a “first class whore,” for alleging officers slowed down on making arrests, causing an uptick in crime.
He also referred to former city Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot as a “b—h” with “blood on her hands” after she refused to expedite delivery of masks to police officers who were working through the pandemic.
Mullins is asking a judge to find that the actions violate his First Amendment rights that allow him to speak on public issues as a union leader.
A spokesperson for the City Law Department did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Metro | New York Post
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