“We fabricated drug charges against innocent people to meet arrest quotasâ€, former detective testifies
Original story by John Marzulli DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER. contact jmarzulli@nydailynews.com
Thursday, October 13th 2011, 4:00 AM
INNOCENT PEOPLE ARRESTED FOR FALSE CHARGES
A former NYPD narcotics detective snared in a corruption scandal testified it was common practice to fabricate drug charges against innocent people to meet arrest quotas.
The bombshell testimony from Stephen Anderson is the first public account of the twisted culture behind the false arrests in the Brooklyn South and Queens narc squads, which led to the arrests of eight cops and a massive shakeup.
Anderson, testifying under a cooperation agreement with prosecutors, was busted for planting cocaine, a practice known as “flaking,” on four men in a Queens bar in 2008 to help out fellow cop Henry Tavarez, whose buy-and-bust activity had been low.
“Tavarez was … was worried about getting sent back [to patrol] and, you know, the supervisors getting on his case,” he recounted at the corruption 
trial of Brooklyn South narcotics Detective Jason Arbeeny.
“I had decided to give him [Tavarez] the drugs to help him out so that he could say he had a buy,” Anderson testified last week in Brooklyn Supreme Court.
He made clear he wasn’t about to pass off the two legit arrests he had made in the bar to Tavarez.
“As a detective, you still have a number to reach while you are in the narcotics division,” he said.
NYPD officials did not respond to a request for comment.
Anderson worked in the Queens and Brooklyn South narcotics squads and was called to the stand at Arbeeny’s bench trial to show the illegal conduct wasn’t limited to a single squad.
“Did you observe with some frequency this … practice which is taking someone who was seemingly not guilty of a crime and laying the drugs on them?” Justice Gustin Reichbach asked Anderson.
“Yes, multiple times,” he replied.
The judge pressed Anderson on whether he ever gave a thought to the damage he was inflicting on the innocent.
“It was something I was seeing a lot of, whether it was from supervisors or undercovers and even investigators,” he said.
“It’s almost like you have no emotion with it, that they attach the bodies to it, they’re going to be out of jail tomorrow anyway; nothing is going to happen to them anyway.”
The city paid $300,000 to settle a false arrest suit by Jose Colon and his brother Maximo, who were falsely arrested by Anderson and Tavarez. A surveillance tape inside the bar showed they had been framed.
A federal judge presiding over the suit said the NYPD’s plagued by “widespread falsification” by arresting officers.
____________________COMMENTS____________________
5:35 AM
Oct 13, 2011
This is not only in New York. I know a cop in Pa that did this for the political boost. Cops all over the country are fabricating charges against innocent people.
5:38 AM
Oct 13, 2011
Ok, now tell us something we did’nt already know NYDN. As long as those in higher positions in the NYPD keep asking for more arrests to fulfill their own, or others career aspirations and possible political agendas, These disgraceful practices and actions, will continue to flourish and fester under every New York City Mayor and Police Commissioner. As long as both keep turning a blind eye, nothing will change just so they can say that ‘ crime statistics are down ‘ in NYC.
5:38 AM
Oct 13, 2011
So Chairman Mao, whenever anyone sees a Chinese guy, he plays ping pong and sells fireworks ? Whenever anyone sees a Jamaican, they smoke weed ? OK, we get it, you hate cops. Wonderful. However you are doing the same exact thing you scream about when they do it. Lumping them all into one group.
5:38 AM
Oct 13, 2011
Can’t believe he said ‘nothing is going to happen to them’. What about a possible felony charge that they will have to live with for the rest of their lives? It will affect their ability to work, feed their family and even their ability to find housing.
5:40 AM
Oct 13, 2011
Moral of the story. GET RID OF ARREST & TICKET QUOTAS IMMEDIATELY. Fire any supervisor who emphasizes them – and then strip them of their ludicrous pensions, if possible.
5:41 AM
Oct 13, 2011
chairman Mao you are one sick ******* and you should burn in Hell
5:48 AM
Oct 13, 2011
Chairman MaMao’ go back to the basement and wait until Mommy calls you upstairs for breakfast. Unfortunately, in NYC THUG Poh-Lice CORRUPTION IS The Norm and Not The Exception.
6:01 AM
Oct 13, 2011
Anderson is FOS! This is not a story about arrest quotas, it’s about lazy narcotics teams flaking people to make more OT. The more people they put in the van, the more OT the team gets. That’s what this is all about. Enjoy your time upstate, Stevie boy.
6:01 AM
Oct 13, 2011
A fish stinks from the head down. Clear out the top brass with minimum pensions.
6:04 AM
Oct 13, 2011
Anyone who was arrested should sue the city. That will bankrupt NYC.
6:08 AM
Oct 13, 2011
I bet the judicial system lets these PIGS go. The system is a joke when it comes to prosecuting dirty cops that frame, hurt or kill people of color lol
6:13 AM
Oct 13, 2011
NO I am shocked that this would happen,not the BOYS IN YELLOW ..the bad thing about this is that a Judge WILL BELIEVE THE COPS 99.99% of the time and the pigs I mean the cops knows this!
6:16 AM
Oct 13, 2011
Its amazing how the NYPD always sees things like talking on a cell phone or speeding violations and issues tickets but they never see when a New Yorker is about to get robbed or a women who may be fixing to get rapped. The main thing it seems the NYPD likes to focus on is revenue and quotas.
6:19 AM
Oct 13, 2011
“It’s almost like you have no emotion with it, that they attach the bodies to it, they’re going to be out of jail tomorrow anyway; nothing is going to happen to them anyway.” This attitude is the whole problem with police and security in general – what humans when empowered do to other humans is reprehensible.
6:22 AM
Oct 13, 2011
At every possible level, from framing innocent victims, to fixing tickets for friends, turning their backs to the crimes of the Vigilante Orthodox Jewish mobs and inflicting racist rants on Fellow officers and abusing their authority the NYPD reeks of corruption and fraud…. and there are imbecile who still think Ray Kelly should run for mayor…. Just how much MORE is this fiasco going to cost the Taxpayers of the City of NY?
6:22 AM
Oct 13, 2011
And the alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States may have been fake after all?
6:27 AM
Oct 13, 2011
Well,that about sums it up.When u place (Ethnically) challenged ppl.into any situation of authority,this more often then not is the results that ppl.can expect.Not only do ppl.have to sue the municipality but,also the health care ppl. charged w/t screening these mentally challenged (RACIST) from (NOT) being given the chance to alter a persons life due to their mental illnesses.their has to be a way to pull these type of ppl. out of their closest before they are put on the streets to inflict harm to innocent ppl!.
6:27 AM
Oct 13, 2011
bushwick12345 > The NYPD had no involvement in that case so how do you make any connection?
6:28 AM
Oct 13, 2011
If you hang out in Times Square, Ground Zero or Wall Street area you are fairly safe but once you venture out of those areas into the other boros good luck cause NYPD is hard to find should you become of a victim of crime but god forbid if you get caught driving with a cell phone they will magically appear
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
I already knew cops did this. They are basically thugs that rob people and try to bust them for things. I wish the public would stop viewing the police as protectors and friends. Many of them enforce laws that are unconstitutional and should not even exist. They aren’t your friends.
A wise man that one.
A wise man that one.
A wise man that one.
A wise man that one.
A wise man that one.
Well, they can always arrest the criminals on Wall Street who caused the
economic collapse.
Dave Chappelle told us this years ago. sprinkle some crack on ’em!
@busboysanalogy ain’t that the truth.
The reason you hear about this, is because they are getting caught. And
it’s not the professors that catch them, it’s internal affairs. Of course
they have standards of performance like any other job. But it’s not because
of the 4.6mill which by the way is nothing over 2 years
@WonderfulDenmark that kinda sounds like fun
@7255202 Yeah, I was trying to say that I’m thinking that when the cops are
looking for people to frame, most of the time it’s going to be a black guy.
It’s a lot like all those white people committing crimes and then saying “a
black man” did it.
Cops are a few people short on their quota? TAKE A FUCKING STROLL TO
WALLSTREET.. WALK IN ANY INVESTMENT BANK… PICK 20 RANDOM PEOPLE… BOOM..
20 counts of fraud, theft by deception, conspiracy, harboring fugitives.
I hope the head of the NYPD get what he deserves big time!
The police become necessary in that juncture in human society, when it’s
split between the haves and the have-nots. The policeman is not your
friend, he is not here to protect you. The police force is a fascist tool,
nothing less, nothing more.
@DarkZombieMan007 yes this is exactly like that. he came up with that joke
because stuff like that actually happens
@taxiuniversum CCTV has some benefits; it enables us to avoid the most
intrusive parts of the law by observing passively with CCTV (rather than
having to interrogate etc), can catch more crime, deter more with less
harsh punishment as ppl have more chance of being caught, and make it a lot
less expensive. If we’re going to change I’d prefer it was in the direction
of spying on the elected officials, cops, businessmen, etc, as they fucked
us before CCTV and will fuck us after w/o transparency
They have traffic ticket quotas… so I am not shocked.
@hoax4254 If it wasn’t “arrest quotas” it would be something else that
would lead to the same ends. If it was a commission based system where cops
got paid per arrest, or if they got no incentive, the underlying problem
remains. The pigs are for sale, if they don’t sell themselves to make a
quota, they would sell themselves to the criminals. They have power, and
not much money- the two rarely stray from the others side.
I’m sorry but I have to say Annas chest looks great in that purple, just
need her nips to pop, sorry I just had to get that off my chest lol
@Jex134 “he said 100% of cops aren’t criminals therefore he said that all
cops are always innocent” – nice logic. You sound like a fucking teabagger.
@Jex134 It’s not a stereotype to say every single police officer in the
world tolerates brutality…? ok, keep living in your fantasies – I’ll stay
out here where things aren’t in such crisp black & white.
-that fuckin’ dumb, or B) that they’re highly immoral, which I think is the
true one. How do they sleep at night thinking that they HAVE to meet an
arrest quota? Or right, they’re immoral Nazi Brownshirts of America. Surely
the law should be HAPPY!!! that less arrests are occuring. This shows a
progress in the city or town. It’s like me going out into the street saying
right! who’s looking at me the wrong way so I can fuck them up! It’s
exactly that.
@restinghope Its illegal for law enforcement to have any form of quota
system, but there’s many cases of it going on under the table. This is one
of those cases. Don’t dismiss any wrong-doing on the side of
law-enforcement under the guise that victims / reporters simply don’t like
police—the fact is that there’s a truly ridiculous amount of widespread
abuse of power & racial stereotyping amongst law enforcement in this
country. To dismiss it simply because its accused is totalitarian.
“Gentlemen, get the thing straight once and for all– the policeman isn’t
there to create disorder, the policeman is there to preserve disorder.” –
Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley
I don’t think this will help with the widespread distrust people have of
cops.