James Blake, Cop to Try to Reach Settlement

Retired pro tennis payer James Blake will enter a "negotiation phase" with the New York City police officer who mistakenly tackled him outside of a hotel when attempting to take down a suspected identify thief.

"They now will move this into . . . a negotiated settlement between the officer and Mr. Blake. If that negotiation were not to occur, then it could move into a trial," Police Commissioner Bill Bratton told the New York Post on Thursday. "We will then review and make a final determination if discipline is warranted." 

On Wednesday, the city's Civilian Complaint Review Board determined that Officer James Frascatore used excessive force when he arrested Blake in September, The New York Times reported. 

The board recommended that Frascatore be given the toughest punishment, which could be suspension or dismissal, the Times said. An internal police department trial will be held, and Bratton has the ultimate say in how the case will be decided.

After the CCRB's finding, Pat Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, said Blake had received "special treatment" from the board, the New York Daily News said.

Lynch told the News that Frascatore arrested Blake in exactly the way he was trained to do, and after he realized his mistake, the two men shook hands and "everyone left."

“That’s always the danger, because you are a person of notoriety, you get special treatment and it moves faster and everyone knows about it,” Lynch told the News. “Do the investigation without fear or favor. Whoever the complainant is, it’s the CCRB's job to do a thorough and correct investigation, not to get a result to get a headline.”

Stephen Worth, a union lawyer representing Frascatore, told the Times the “so-called substantiation is in no way a finding of any wrongdoing by any competent authority.” He added, "This is a simple case of a good-faith misidentification which has been wildly blown out of proportion."

Blake's lawyer told the News the retired tennis star would like to see Frascatore fired.


Related Stories:

• NYPD Officer Indicted in Stairwell Shooting of Akai Gurley: Reports
  
• NYPD Officer's Dance Break With Pride Parade Attendee Goes Viral