NEW ROCHELLE, NY -- Talk of the Sound has obtained copies of two video clips posted on social media that appear to show a New Rochelle Police office draw his firearm and aim to at a youth kneeling in the snow after police responded to calls of a disturbance which one witness described as a snow ball fight.
New Rochelle City officials did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Unofficially, two reliable sources are telling Talk of the Sound that police on the scene that day have said they were called to the scene based on a report of a person with a gun. It is worth mentioning here that it has been the policy of the New Rochelle Police Department for the past two years not to respond to requests for information from Talk of the Sound, to allow Talk of the Sound to participate in daily press briefing or attend press conferences such as the one in November after Operation City Sweeper II. So, Talk of the Sound has no way to obtain any official comment on that matter.
Talk of the Sound intends to obtain the police radio traffic and records under a Freedom of Information Law request on Monday and will publish the results.
The first video picks up the action in the middle of things so it is not clear from the video what transpired beforehand. The video shows an NRPD officer using obscene language, ordering the already-kneeling youths to remain down. The officer is holding his firearm with both hands, pointed directly at one of the youths. He then approaches the young man, briefly frisks him with one hand while holding onto his firearm.
The second video clip shows police telling the youths to get up and move along. If there was a gun on the scene it is not apparent from the video.
Talk of the Sound is working to identify the exact details of the incident which reportedly occurred earlier this week.
New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson and Council Member Jared Rice have been raising the issue of police training in the context of the Eric Garner and Michael Brown grand jury decisions. Rice has asked that Police Commissioner Patrick Carroll consider issuing body cameras.