View source for Patrick Lynch (police officer)

{{short description|American police union leader and police officer}}
{{for|persons of a similar name|Patrick Lynch (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Patrick J. Lynch
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = 1964
| birth_place = [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| other_names = Pat
| known_for = Former President, [[Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York]]
| occupation = [[Trade union]] leader; [[Police Officer]]
| spouse = Kathleen Casey
| children = 2
}}
'''Patrick J. Lynch''' is a [[New York City Police Department]] officer, and the former president of its union, the [[Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York]],<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=22 October 2014 |title=The Blue Bulldog |url=http://www.newsweek.com/2014/10/31/patrick-lynch-new-york-citys-blue-bulldog-278942.html |accessdate=29 May 2018 |website=[[Newsweek]] |publisher=}}</ref>  which he has served for six consecutive terms in office. He retired as union president at the end of June 2023.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kilgannon |first=Corey |date=11 April 2023 |title=Combative President of New York Police Union to Bow Out After 6 Terms |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/11/nyregion/patrick-lynch-police-benevolent-association.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |location=New York |access-date=29 February 2024}}</ref>
==Personal life==
Lynch was born in [[Bayside, Queens|Bayside]], [[Queens]] to an Irish Catholic family. He is the youngest of seven children. His father was a [[New York City Subway|subway]] motorman for 30 years. He went to [[Monsignor Scanlan High School]] in [[the Bronx]].
Lynch is married to Kathleen Casey, and has two sons, Patrick and Kevin, both of whom are New York City police officers.{{cn|date=December 2023}}
==Career==
Lynch worked for a short time as a [[New York City Subway]] conductor, but on January 4, 1984, he became a police officer with the [[New York City Police Department]]. He has been described as "New York City's Blue Bulldog" for being head of one of the largest [[police union|police unions]] in the world,<ref name=":0" /> having served in this role since 1999 and winning reelection to a fifth term in 2015.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/06/nyregion/patrick-lynch-re-elected-to-lead-new-york-police-union.html|title=Patrick Lynch, Police Union Chief Who Fought de Blasio, Wins a 5th Term|work=The New York Times |date=5 June 2015|publisher=|accessdate=29 May 2018|via=NYTimes.com|last1=Feuer |first1=Alan }}</ref>
As of 2023, Lynch makes $109,000 per year as a [[List of police ranks|police officer]]. If he was promoted to detective or sergeant, he would have to resign from his union position. He is assigned to the 90th Precinct, which covers the [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn|Williamsburg]] neighborhoods of [[Brooklyn]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Patrick J. Lynch |url=https://www.50-a.org/officer/22043 |access-date=2023-02-09 |website=www.50-a.org |language=en-us}}</ref> Lynch was the subject of one [[Civilian Complaint Review Board]] complaint in July 1987 for inappropriate [[use of force]]; the Board later declared the complaint "unsubstantiated" due to their being unable to contact the plaintiff.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Complaint: Lynch, Torres, July 1987 |url=https://www.50-a.org/complaint/8702685 |access-date=2023-02-09 |website=www.50-a.org}}</ref>
==Controversies==
Lynch has a history of conflicting with [[New York City Hall]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://observer.com/2014/12/for-police-unions-a-history-of-warring-with-city-hall/|title=Police Unions Have History of Warring With City Hall - New York Observer|author=Ross Barkan|work=New York Observer|date=22 December 2014 }}</ref> In 2007, he stated that the PBA "could never support former New York City Mayor [[Rudy Giuliani]] for any elected office."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2014/12/22/new_york_police_union_past_mayors_attacks_on_all_parties.html|title=New York police union, past mayors: Attacks on all parties.|work=Slate Magazine|date=22 December 2014 }}</ref> He has also criticized [[New York City Police Commissioner|Police Commissioner]] [[Raymond Kelly|Ray Kelly]], former [[Mayor of New York City|Mayors]] [[Michael Bloomberg]] and [[Bill de Blasio]], other city trade union leaders, the [[New York City Council]], the Civilian Complaint Review Board, and several national political leaders.
In the wake of [[2014 killings of NYPD officers]], Lynch turned his back on Mayor Bill de Blasio due to the belief that the political climates set by the mayor and other government officials led to the killing of the two officers.<ref name="Gothamist">{{cite web |title="Blood On Many Hands": Police Unions Blame De Blasio For Death Of 2 Cops |url=http://gothamist.com/2014/12/21/cops_shot_nyc_nypd.php#photo-1 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225031844/http://gothamist.com/2014/12/21/cops_shot_nyc_nypd.php#photo-1 |archivedate=2014-12-25 |work=Gothamist}}</ref> After the autopsy of [[Death of Eric Garner|Eric Garner]], who died as a result of a chokehold in July 2014 while being suspected of selling loose cigarettes, he defended the actions of the NYPD officers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-pba-president-pat-lynch-defends-nypd-after-expert-examines-eric-garners-final-autopsy-20140919-embeddedvideo.html|title=PBA President Pat Lynch defends NYPD after expert examines Eric Garner's final autopsy|author=NDN|date=19 September 2014|work=chicagotribune.com}}</ref>
In November 2019, both Lynch and de Blasio criticized Bloomberg's apology for the [[stop-and-frisk]] policy which occurred under his administration.<ref name="lynchvsbloomberg">{{Cite web|url=https://pix11.com/2019/11/17/too-little-too-late-pat-lynch-police-union-president-slams-bloomberg-stop-and-frisk-apology/|title='Too little, too late': Police union president slams Bloomberg 'stop and frisk' apology|date=2019-11-17|website=WPIX 11 New York|language=en|access-date=2019-11-17}}</ref> Lynch released a statement that said, in part, “The apology is too little, too late”; "Mayor Bloomberg could have saved himself this apology if he had just listened to the police officers on the street”; “We said in the early 2000s that the quota-driven emphasis on street stops was polluting the relationship between cops and our communities”; and “His administration’s misguided policy inspired an anti-police movement that has made cops the target of hatred and violence, and stripped away many of the tools we had used to keep New Yorkers safe.”<ref name="lynchvsbloomberg" />
On August 18, 2020, Lynch and the PBA endorsed [[Donald Trump]] for [[President of the United States|President]] in the [[2020 United States presidential election]], the first time that the union endorsed a presidential candidate, and appeared in the [[2020 Republican National Convention]].<ref>[https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/08/trump-endorsed-by-nyc-police-union.html Trump endorsed by NYC police union — a chilling portent<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==External links==
*{{C-SPAN|127125}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Patrick}}
[[Category:Leaders of organizations]]
[[Category:American trade union leaders]]
[[Category:Police unions in the United States]]
[[Category:People from Bayside, Queens]]
[[Category:New York City Police Department officers]]
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Conservatism]]