THE THIN BLUE LINE
NEW YORK — An NYPD sergeant who wore pro-Trump “Punisher” logos on her uniform and blew kisses at demonstrators during a Black Lives Matter protest in Brooklyn has been docked 30 vacation days, the Daily News has learned. Martillo was also suspended for 10 days in a decision approved by NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell on Sept. 16.
Sgt. Dana Martillo defied a superior officer’s order to zip up her jacket and hide the logos before the Feb. 5, 2021, protest, according to a newly released disciplinary report. Martillo testified she was not given that order.
Martillo was caught on video wearing two patches, one with the Punisher skull logo with Trump-style hair, and a second with a similar image and the words, “Trump 2020″ and “Make Enforcement Great Again.″
At her departmental trial, Inspector Matthew Galvin said: “It is impossible for this department to maintain public trust if its members are perceived to be partisan while executing their official duties. Her decision to wear political patches at the demonstration invited the public to question her neutrality and the neutrality of those police officers who were under her authority.”
She plans on appealing.
The BLM protest was held on Friday, February 5, 2021, to call for the firing of Officer Artem Prusayev, who is assigned to the precinct, and was seen on video pulling his gun at a January 12 protest over the shooting death of Andre Hill in Columbus, Ohio. According to News12, protesters said Prusayev drew his weapon and brandished his gun toward protesters after they told him to put on a mask. The NYPD has ordered all officers to wear masks while in public, in department facilities and where social distancing isn’t possible amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
According to another data website, SeeThroughNY, Martillo was paid $133,175 in 2020, including a base salary of $109,360. The CapStat website shows Martillo earned $89,371 as her base salary in 2018, along with $12,583 in other pay and $2,967 in overtime.
