The NYPD: Dirty Little Secrets II - 'Lucky Bag' & 'Stop & Drop'

Recently, all the major New York and national media outlets ran a story about the arrest of a young husband and father after he found and confiscated a bag in the subway system. When questioned by police, the man stated that he intended to take the bag home and attempt to contact whomever it may have belonged to. He went on to say the reason he decided to wait to contact the person was because his train was pulling into the station and he and his family had to rush to catch it. Subsequently, the media reported that the New York City Police Department had actually placed the bag in the subway station as part of a sting operation called "Lucky Bag".

I contacted a ranking member of the New York City Police Department, and, as often is the case, they agreed to talk to me with the promise of total anonymity. The officer, whom I will refer to as "Officer X", was more than happy to discuss exactly how and why the department created this scenario. "I knew it was just a matter if time before people found out about this, and I'm glad it's finally out there because this is wrong," the officer stated. "The lucky bag operation is just plain wrong. They deliberately place the bag in the subway system hoping someone will take it instead of turning it in to a police officer, who more often than not will be placed right at the station, or to the token booth clerk. Most of the time people just walk right by the bag. They may glance at it once or twice, but very few people stop and look at the contents. The ones that do look, or take it, can count on having a bad day afterward," said Officer X.

I pressed the officer by asking why the NYPD would go to such extremes in creating Operation Lucky Bag, with the threat of terrorism, murderers, drug dealers, gang-bangers and rapists all round us, and the response was immediate. "It's all about the damn numbers G-man! It's always been about numbers and it always will be!" Officer X became very agitated and upset at this point. "Look, if someone takes the bag they're going through the system. Period! For every person that gets taken through the system, which generally takes anywhere from 12 to 18 hours, arrest numbers are generated for the department. This is great for the department because it validates claims that arrests are up and crime is down in the city. The problem is the department is setting people up, in my honest opinion, to get these numbers, and that's not right! I'm in the union, and many of my fellow officers also think the program is improper. The department is playing a dangerous game, and it's distorting the reality between good and bad," proclaimed Officer X. When asked if the department's operation could be considered "entrapment", Officer X did not mince words. "I'd be surprised if the department isn't hit with a barrage of lawsuits in the future."

I was satisfied with the information I obtained up to this point, and I was about to end our discussion when Officer X dropped another bombshell by stating, "Operation Lucky Bag is nothing compared to 'Stop and Drop'." We stared at each other for several seconds, and I broke the silence by asking, "Do you really want to go there?" Officer X began to reveal another one of the NYPD's most guarded secrets. "How many times have you been on the New York City subway and heard the conductor say the train is being held in the station due to police activity? How come you rarely see any 'activity' on the part of police at that particular station? You know why you don't? In most cases, there is no police activity! It's the old baiting game again. The train is deliberately held in the station to see who's going to suddenly get off. The goal, initially, was to catch people who may have outstanding warrants or are wanted by the authorities for any number of reasons. I don't have a problem with that because you do find very dangerous people from time to time and are able to get them off the streets," said the officer. "The major, major problem for cops now is people are being arrested and taken through the system for something as simple as not having I.D. or tossing a Metrocard, or fare card, on the ground instead of the trash can. As bad as this is, here's where it gets worse. If they run a background check on someone that's taken off the train, and they have a misdemeanor or major felony on record that occurred 20 years ago, they're going through the system. It doesn't matter if the charge was dismissed, if they paid a fine and settled it, or paid their debt to society by serving a 15-year sentence. Everybody has to go before a judge nowadays, and I don't think that's right."

I proceeded to ask the officer if the "double jeopardy" rule, which basically states a person cannot be tried for the same crime twice, prevented the department from carry out this practice, and my question was greeted with laughter. "G-man, this is what I'm talking about! These practices cross the line to where you can't tell cops from the bad guys. The department is not concerned about the law in these situations. It's about getting those arrest numbers up and writing those summonses. If a person has paid for a mistake they made 15 years ago, and they are now living as a productive member of society, there is no reason in hell to take them through the system and place them on trial a second time over some {expletive}. This is what is happening to an enormous number of people out there, and it may not be limited to New York City. The only way it will stop is if more cops speak out and if the public becomes more aware of it. I believe the greatest deterrent would be for people to get good lawyers and file lawsuits against the department. I'll bet this {expletive} would stop immediately if that happened. The department has been getting away with this because the public is clueless. Many of the people that have been arrested under Stop and Drop are simply victims of their past, and good and caring cops are forced to go along with this {expletive} for the sake of numbers. Quite frankly, many of us have had enough!" The officer also alleged that veteran cops across the city are protesting the operation by asking to be returned to units or details they worked in prior to Stop and Drop, and that the department has replaced them with rookie officers to enact the clandestine operation.

Finally, I asked Officer X why so many officers have remained silent in the wake of Stop and Drop, and the following was offered. "No one wants to get {expletive}! There are people with 10, 15, 20 and 25 years in the department. Many of them are on the verge of retiring with nice pensions, and others are paying mortgages and college tuition for their kids. You open your mouth, and the department will find a way to {expletive} you. Sharing this with you, G-man, and having it appear on Associated Content could help make all the difference in the world. Hopefully, other good cops will come forward or contact you, even if they have to do it anonymously, and confirm that these are standard procedures within the NYPD."

Attempts were made to obtain comments, rebuttals and/or explanations regarding Lucky Bag and Stop and Drop through the New York City Police Department's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information (DCPI) office shortly after the interview. To date, the NYPD and DCPI have not responded. Should either entity decide to submit a response in the future, it will be posted on Associated Content.