NYPD Disrespect Continues, De Blasio Heckled And Booed At Cadet Graduation (VIDEO)

[branford]

38. It very much depends on the the nature and extend of the speech and circumstances.

There is an entire body of constitutional and labor law dealing with expression by public employees, in and out of uniform, on and off-duty. The law strongly favors public employees.

Back-turning or a little booing, a common, recognized and peaceful means of objecting to authority figures, done to an elected politician, not directly in your chain of command, mostly by officers not officially on duty, concerning matters arguably the subject of collective bargaining (e.g., officer safety), and performed as part of a collective labor action, under the the strongly pro-labor rules and regulations of NYS and NYC, and with very protective union contracts, will not justify discipline, no less termination.

Apart from the legal prohibitions, as a practical and political matter, even the suggestion of discipline is entirely untenable in NYC. Moreover, Mayor deBlasio is not some wimp or victim, and shouldn't be treated as such.. If he truly could deal with police union political opposition, which is not the case, he would be perceived as unfit to be mayor.