NYPD Tapes 4: The WhistleBlower, Adrian Schoolcraft

He wanted his bosses to know about NYPD misconduct. So they put him in a mental ward

Comments (0) By Graham Rayman Tuesday, Jun 15 2010

...continued from page 4

In December, the NYPD began sending supervisors to Schoolcraft's home on a repeated basis.

On December 2, a cop from the Johnstown Police Department knocked on his door, claiming he was there to check on him. The visits continued: On December 3, three sergeants sat outside his home for hours; on December 7, the local police came by; on December 11, there was repeated banging on the door while three Johnstown patrol cars were parked out front.

Graham Rayman

Schoolcraft waits for word about his status with the NYPD.

Schoolcraft's fateful digital recorder.

Details

The Voice presents excerpts from "The NYPD Tapes: Inside Bed-Stuy's 81st Precinct."

FEBRUARY 20, 2009
"If We Like You, You Get a Certain Thing. If We Don't Like You, You Get a Certain Thing."

In this excerpt, Adrian Schoolcraft meets with Lieutenant Rafael Mascol, who makes a series of unguarded remarks about how the NYPD rates officers.

OCTOBER 31, 2009
"What is this, Russia?"

In this recorded excerpt from Schoolcraft's apartment, deputy chief Michael Marino demands that Schoolcraft, who'd gone home early feeling sick, return to the precinct. Schoolcraft refuses.

OCTOBER 31, 2009
"Son, You Got a Choice. What Is It Gonna Be?"

Deputy chief Marino demands that Schoolcraft go to the hospital. Schoolcraft refuses. He was then thrown to the floor, handcuffed, dragged from his Queens apartment, and taken against his will to a psychiatric ward at Jamaica Hospital.

NYPD Tapes: The Series
The NYPD Tapes Part 1
Inside Bed-Stuy's 81st Precinct
The NYPD Tapes, Part 2
Bed-Stuy street cops ordered: Turn this place into a ghost town
The NYPD Tapes, Part 3
A Detective Comes Forward About Downgraded Sexual Assaults

Follow continuing coverage of the NYPD Tapes here at our Runnin' Scared blog.

More About

"We didn't answer because we wanted to avoid a confrontation," Schoolcraft says. "There was a convention outside my door."

The NYPD also sent people on December 13, January 12, January 13, January 14, January 15, January 21, January 31, February 3, February 12, and June 8—a campaign the Schoolcrafts describe as harassment.

Without a paycheck, money was becoming a problem. Ironically, Schoolcraft called the crime victims' hotline to obtain some sort of financial relief, but he was rejected because he had no complaint number for the Halloween incident.

After trying to report misconduct within the NYPD, Schoolcraft finally decided to go public. In early March, he handed over some of his tape recordings to the Voice, which has led to this series.

The NYPD did not respond to Voice queries about his claims or his employment status. A phone call to Deputy Commissioner Julie Schwartz, head of the department advocate's office, was not returned.

For now, Schoolcraft plans to pursue a lawsuit against the city. He says he has also been interviewed by the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is suing the department over its stop-and-frisk policies.

"Basically, I'm trying to recover my reputation here," he says. "They assassinated my character in an effort to cover up what I was trying to report. I have no choice but to fight this battle."

Follow continuing coverage of the NYPD Tapes here at our Runnin' Scared blog.

grayman@villagevoice.com