Patrick Lynch (police officer)

Patrick Lynch is the President of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association of the City of New York.^[1] Lynch was born in Bayside, Queens to an Irish-Catholic family. His father was a subway motorman for 30 years. He went to Monsignor Scanlan High School in the Bronx. He is married to Kathleen Casey, and has two sons.^[1]

Lynch worked for a short time as a NYC subway conductor, but on January 4, 1984, he became a police officer with the New York City Police Department. He has been described as being the most powerful police union chief in the world, having served in this role since 1999 and winning reelection to a 5th term in 2015.^[1][2] Lynch makes $65,382 per year as a police officer and $65,382 per year as the head of the union.^[3] He has been described as "New York City's Blue Bulldog"^[1] for being the head of the 23,000 member Patrolmen's Benevolent Association of the City of New York.^[4]

Conflicts

He has a history of conflicting with New York City Hall.^[5] In 2007, he stated that the PBA "could never support [former New York City Mayor] Rudy Giuliani for any elected office."^[6] He was a huge critic of Police Commissioner Ray Kelly as well as Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Lynch spoke outwardly against the NYC teachers' union boss Michael Mulgrew for co-sponsoring Al Sharpton's anti-police rally, saying "It is absolutely ridiculous that [Mulgrew] . . . would waste his members' dues to get involved with a march that has nothing to do with teachers or his union."^[7] In the wake of 2014 killings of NYPD officers, Lynch turned his back on Mayor Bill de Blasio due to a belief held by himself as well as most of his contingency that political climates set by the mayor and other government officials lead to the killing of the two officers.^[4] After the autopsy of Eric Garner, who died as a result of a choke hold in July 2014 while selling loose cigarettes, he defended the actions of the NYPD officers.^[8]

References