High-ranking members of the NYPD this week called out a state Supreme Court judge by name on social media after they said she allowed a man with multiple prior arrests to go free before trial.
Police have historically criticized criminal justice policies — most recently bail reform — and the legal system, in interviews and public comments. But the coordinated attack on X and Instagram — naming a specific member of the bench — marks a sharp escalation in police leadership’s rhetoric around law and order that some legal experts say amounts to intimidation.
Chief of Patrol John Chell said Acting Supreme Court Justice J. Machelle Sweeting had failed to “do her job” by releasing from custody a man accused of fare evasion, narcotics possession and grand larceny. Chell said the man, Rudell Faulkner, had been arrested six times this year, including for four felonies. None of them appear to involve violence.
“She set free a predator back into the community, who may be on your next train, or walking the streets of our city, looking for his next victim,” Chell wrote, praising the district attorney for bringing “proper charges” against Faulkner and slamming Sweeting for allegedly not setting bail for him.
Chell also included what appeared to be a mugshot of Faulkner, noting he had been arrested a total of 47 times and had 28 convictions. The post was reshared on X — formerly known as Twitter — by three top NYPD officials: Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry and Chief of Transit Michael Kemper.
“Gather round, because it’s time for another episode of the ‘Revolving Door of NYC Criminal Justice!’” Daughtry wrote. All four men report directly to Police Commissioner Edward Caban, whom Mayor Eric Adams appointed last year.
Under Adams, a former NYPD officer, police brass have been outspoken on social media, sounding off about crimes and their alleged perpetrators. The NYPD was part of an aggressive…
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