NYPD Quote of the Day: “If You’re a Troublemaker, They Don’t Need You”

Graham Rayman’s “The NYPD Tapes: Inside Bed-Stuy’s 81st Precinct” chronicles hundreds of recorded hours of cops talking about their jobs between June 1, 2008, and October 31, 2009.

Here’s today’s outtake:

From a sergeant, December 8, 2008:

“Remember, if you want to go somewhere, your reputation precedes you. You may leave here and think it’s all well and good, you left the 81, but you know somebody will make a phone call and put a jam in your whole ranks. And it’s, I gotta watch out for this person…. People know who works and who doesn’t work. The job loses 3,000 jobs coming next year, so remember they are going to be real selective when somebody screws up and they’re going to fire, suspend, or take days away. It’s not like in the old days. You’re making $45,000. If you’re a troublemaker, they don’t need you.”

Read Part 2 of the series here. City Councilwoman Darlene Mealy is now calling for an investigation into orders given by 81st Precinct supervisors that may have led to civil rights violations.