Press Releases
BOROUGH PARK ASSAULTS SHOW FAKE BADGES STILL AVAILABLE
WEINER AND NADLER CALL ON FEDS TO ENFORCE LAWS AGAINST BOGUS BADGES
New York City – Recent Borough Park assaults show that retailers continue to supply would-be criminals with fake police badges four months after a new federal ban was enacted. Today, Representatives Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn & Queens) and Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan & Brooklyn) demanded that the Department of Justice crack down on retailers – such as internet sites www.bidville.com and www.maxsell.com – where fake badges are widely available.
Last January, President Bush signed legislation authored by Rep. Weiner that outlawed the trafficking of fake police badges. However, due to lax enforcement, fake badges remain in the hands of criminals – like a child stalker currently on the loose in Brooklyn.
Before the new bill became law, federal law included broad exceptions which allowed anyone to purchase a fake badge for "recreational" or "decorative" purposes. As a result of these loopholes, fake police badges – including NYPD badges – were widely available for sale on the Internet.
Despite the new ban, fake NYPD badges are still commonly sold on Internet sites such as www.bidville.com and www.maxsell.com. A quick Internet search turned up an exact replica of an NYPD Lieutenant’s badge selling for $30 at bidville.com and maxsell.com features and entire section of fake NYPD police badges.
Representatives Weiner and Nadler have written the Department of Justice demanding enforcement of the fake badge ban. “No criminal should be able to use a badge to evade law enforcement or take advantage of an unsuspecting victim,” wrote Reps. Weiner and Nadler.
“Criminals in Brooklyn and across New York City continue to use fake badges because the Department of Justice has dropped the ball,” said Rep. Weiner. “With a few dollars and the click of a mouse, anyone can still impersonate a New York City police officer.”
“I just don’t understand why we allow people to peddle fake badges when we have criminals prowling around using them to abduct children,” said Rep. Nadler “This issue is as simple as it sounds, and it’s time to crack down.”
The NYPD receives more than 1,200 complaints each year about impersonators using fake badges to commit crimes. In May 2005, federal authorities arrested a Bronx man after discovering 1,300 fake badges in his home, as well as drugs and guns.
