NEW YORK (AP) – The Latest on the disciplinary trial of a police officer accused of tackling former tennis star James Blake (all times local):
8:40 p.m.
Retired pro tennis player James Blake says a New York police officer who tackled him in a mistaken arrest should be fired to send a message.
FILE – In this Sept. 21, 2015, file photo, James Blake arrives at New York’s City Hall. The internal disciplinary trial of Officer James Frascatore, the police officer who tackled the retired pro tennis player outside a New York Hotel in 2015, concluded Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Officer disciplinary records are secret under state law, city officials say, so the public, and even Blake, might never learn the details of any punishment. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Blake tells The Associated Press the discipline recommended for Officer James Frascatore (fras-kuh-TOHR’-ee) is not enough.
Lawyers for the police watchdog agency argued for the loss of 10 vacation days. But an administrative judge could suggest a steeper punishment, including dismissal. The police commissioner makes the ultimate decision.
Blake said Tuesday he thinks the police department should send a message officers can’t use excessive force. He says a video clearly shows he was moved down by the officer.
The officer says he was told Blake was a suspect in a counterfeit credit card ring and may have been armed.
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2:30 p.m.
The internal disciplinary trial of a New York City police officer who tackled retired pro tennis player James Blake has concluded, but the details of any punishment might never be known.
City officials say that under state law, officer disciplinary records are secret.
Officer James Frascatore (fras-kuh-TOHR’-ee) mistakenly arrested Blake outside a Manhattan hotel in 2015.
Lawyers for the police watchdog group prosecuting the case recommended he forfeit 10 vacation days as a punishment.
The judge will recommend a potentially more severe punishment, including dismissal from the nation’s largest police force. The police commissioner will have the ultimate say.
Blake called for the mayor and police commissioner to fire the officer and make the decision public.
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