The New York Police Department (NYPD) has been hit by a scandal involving alleged favoritism towards officers’ friends and family. Officer Mathew Bianchi has filed a lawsuit against the force, claiming that police unions demand that cops’ friends and families be excused from receiving traffic tickets. Bianchi alleges that laminated “courtesy cards” are printed out and distributed every year by the five police unions, and come with no formal instructions. However, such is the expectation that people bearing them will be let off, that Bianchi claims he was punished for not honoring them.

Bianchi claims that he was punished by being transferred to nighttime patrol for giving tickets to reckless drivers who tried to avoid punishment. These drivers were attempting to use the courtesy cards. Trouble for Bianchi started after a traffic stop in 2017, when he pulled over a woman for speeding and running a red light. After she showed him a courtesy card, he gave her a speeding ticket, but let her off with a warning for running the red. Despite being shown leniency, the woman complained, and the person from whom she received the card told Bianchi he was wrong not to honor it. His union then, allegedly, told him he would be in trouble if he continued not to honor the cards.

After that, Bianchi says he came under intense scrutiny, and was told he could be punished if he continued to flout convention. Then, in August, he wrote a ticket to a woman who did not present him with a courtesy card. Despite that, he alleges that it was later revealed to him that she was related to an NYPD Chief of Department. Days later, he was transferred to regular patrol on the four-to-midnight shift.

Although the cards depend on the discretion of officers to let people go, something that they are allowed to exercise, Bianchi’s allegations suggest that the practice of not punishing people related to the NYPD is not just a courtesy, but a requirement. The suit comes more than a decade after the NYPD was stained by a scandal in which 16 officers were indicted for “fixing” traffic tickets. Bianchi claims that this is the solution to the scandal, since it means that there simply aren’t tickets to make disappear.

According to John Scola, Bianchi’s lawyer, the problem with these alleged actions runs deeper than simple favoritism. “Many of these people are driving recklessly again and again. They’re a danger to everyone else on the road,” said Scola. “But rather than protect the community from these recidivist offenders, the NYPD chose to retaliate against my client and derail his career.”

The allegations made by Bianchi are serious and suggest that there is a culture of favoritism within the NYPD. It remains to be seen how the lawsuit will play out and whether there will be any consequences for those involved in the alleged wrongdoing. However, it is clear that such actions undermine public trust in law enforcement and could have serious consequences for public safety. It is important that any allegations of wrongdoing are thoroughly investigated and that those responsible are held accountable for their actions.