NYPD Union Head Defends Cops in Eric Garner Case: ‘Resisting Leads to Confrontation’

Pat Lynch, the head of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, continued to slam NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio on NPR today. He said that despite what de Blasio claimed, it was not disrespectful for cops to turn their backs to him at services for two slain officers (though host Robert Siegel pointed out at the top Lynch himself did not turn his back).

But aside from the de Blasio-bashing, Lynch also defended the conduct of the officers in the Eric Garner case. He said, “There’s no script for police officers. What we had is someone who resisted arrest.” Lynch was a little bothered by people lecturing the NYPD about what they shouldn’t do, but not “telling us what we should do when a police officer is facing a resisting arrest situation.”

And when Siegel pressed him on whether that was “effective policing,” Lynch just said that Garner was resisting, and unfortunately “resisting leads to confrontation.”

Listen to the audio below, via NPR:

[h/t HuffPost]
[image via screengrab]

— —

Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!