AndrewBlakeNew York, NY – Four female New York Police Department (NYPD) officers are facing possible discipline for posing for a picture with two male strippers at an event at a senior center.
In the photo that was taken by an NYPD police recruit on May 13 at the annual Mother’s Day event at the ARC Senior Center, all four officers were smiling as they leaned into the stripper’s body, the New York Post reported.
One police officer pointed to the stripper’s G-string while a second stripper wearing a sailor’s hat danced in the background, according to the New York Daily News.
Two of the police officers have been identified as Officers Amber Guzman and Nathalie Lebron, both of whom work as neighborhood coordinating officers for a police initiative called “neighborhood policing” that was started under New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, according to the New York Post.
The photo was taken May 13 at the annual Mother’s Day event at the ARC Senior Center, and then was circulated throughout the police department.
Police officers from the 33rd Precinct traditionally attend the senior center’s Mother Day event, according to the New York Post.
A NYPD spokeswoman said that the officers were not aware that strippers would be at the event.
“The senior center participants encouraged the officers to pose for the picture,” Sergeant Jessica McRorie told the New York Post. “The commanding officer is aware and will address the incident at the precinct level.”
This is not the first time NYPD has had to deal with these type of issues.
The New York Post reported that two male NYPD officers were photographed with topless “desnudas” in Time Square during the summer of 2015. Desnudas are models who walk around Times Square wearing only body paint.
After that incident, the police union issued a statement that said the officers had been unfairly disciplined for taking the picture.
“Once again, New York City police officers are being held to a different and unfair standard,” Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch told WCBS. “Posing for selfies with tourists and performers is standard practice for officers and there is no way these officers violated any laws. Punishing them in any way for it is a miscarriage of justice.”