Jonathan Wohl, a construction worker, was arrested last September as he was recording himself staging a one-man protest against his union in the lobby of its New York City offices. When police were called, they confiscated his phone but, as Gothamist points out, didn't realize it was still recording.
As Wohl was in a holding cell in the Midtown South precinct, his phone picked up the conversations of dozens of cops who did not know they were being recorded.
The recording, according to Gothamist, "offers a rare window into the daily work of a police officer behind closed doors – and the ways that a number of recent criminal justice reforms have changed the way officers process arrests and collect overtime."
Wohl’s arresting officer, Shaun Enright told a coworker, “Bail reform sucks. But it's also one of the best things that's ever happened, too,” apparently suggesting that the new law has boosted his paycheck thanks to the additional paperwork.
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Around three hours after Wohl was first placed in a cell, an unidentified officer can be heard asking Enright if he plans to “run some time.”
“Are you going to milk it a bit?” the officer continued. “Or is it quick?”
“I’m going to make my money,” Enright replied. “I’m going to make it work.”
Gothamist alleges that the comments appear to refer to the additional overtime that officers collect while processing arrests.
Speaking to Gothamist, former NYPD crime analyst Christopher Herrmann said that "it doesn’t take eight hours to fill out a [desk appearance ticket]."
"But if I need some overtime, I’m going to make sure it takes a little longer than it should take. Sometimes mama needs a new pair of shoes," he said.
At another point in the recording, an unidentified officer can be heard referring to a woman he recently arrested as a “liberal c**t.”
“Maybe that 18 hours that you spend on that f*****g cage in the back will change your mind about life a little bit,” an unidentified officer said.
“Those kinds of people, nothing will ever be their fault,” Enright replied.
Read the full report over at Gothamist.