A New York City police officer secretly recorded an interaction between himself and his supervisor as he was chastised for refusing to racially profile a checkpoint. The exchange was posted online by Gawker and comes a time when tensions over police reform and racial profiling is at an all-time high.

In the audio originally recorded in 2012, New York transit officer Michael Burch received a bizarre evaluation from his supervisor in which the man was repeatedly told that he is wasting his time keeping his eye on all citizens rather than specifically targeting groups known to commit the most crime.

“Here’s what I see. You just described to me who’s committing the crimes. You’re fully aware of it. But you’re not targeting those people.”

This audio is incredibly disturbing and leaves the listener wondering if these sorts of conversations are happening in police stations all over the nation.

Listen.

 

Sydney Robinson is a political writer for the Ring of Fire Network. She has also appeared in political news videos for Ring of Fire. Sydney has a degree in English Literature from the University of West Florida, and has an active interest in politics, social justice, and environmental issues. She would love to hear from you on Twitter @SydneyMkay or via email at srobinson@ringoffireradio.com