Sergeants Benevolent Association

In 1899, following the consolidation of the five New York City borough police departments, a fraternal organization known as the Police Sergeants Endowment and Benevolent Association was founded in New York City.[3][4][5] In 1907 Sergeant Richard E. Enright was elected the first SBA President.[6]

Harold Melnick became the SBA’s President in 1961, and over his 20-year term in office, the SBA won individual collective bargaining rights, established a self-administered health and welfare plan, and expanded health insurance coverage for NYC sergeants.[7] In 1995, the SBA merged with the unions representing the New York City Transit Police and New York City Housing Authority Police Department, as those departments merged into the NYPD.[7]

On July 1, 2002, Ed Mullins was elected President of the Sergeants Benevolent Association; since then he has been reelected for four-year terms.[7][8] He is also Chairman and Trustee to the union’s Health Benefits Fund and Annuity Fund, and a Trustee for the New York City Police Pension Fund.[8]

In 2015 Mullins wrote a letter of protest to Google, complaining about a feature in the Waze traffic app that allows users to pinpoint the locations of police officers.[9] He said that allowing users to “get alerts before they approach police” could put police officers at risk from criminals who will abuse the real-time data provided by Waze.[9]

In May 2016 Mullins called for Police Commissioner Bill Bratton to step down amid a police corruption investigation.[10] Bratton stepped down two months later.[11]

In August 2018 the Sergeants Benevolent Association began offering civilians $500 cash rewards for coming to the aid of an officer in trouble and helping police officers restrain those who are resisting arrest.[12]

In 2019 Sergeants Benevolent Association president Mullins emailed an explicitly racist video to the Association's membership along with the message "Pay close attention to every word. You will hear what goes through the mind of real policemen every single day on the job. This is the best video I've ever seen telling the public the absolute truth.” After the email was publicized he said that sharing the video, which referred to black people as monsters, was an honest mistake, apologized to union members, and told the New York Post that “there is no one to blame but me for the video that was distributed.”[1] The SBA declined to discipline or criticize Mullins.[13]

In February 2020 the SBA tweeted "Mayor DeBlasio, the members of the NYPD are declaring war on you! We do not respect you, DO NOT visit us in hospitals. You sold the NYPD to the vile creatures, the 1% who hate cops but vote for you. NYPD cops have been assassinated because of you. This isn’t over, Game on!”[14] after a targeted attack on a police office which the Mayor had referred to as an assassination attempt on the officers.[15]

In May 2020, during the George Floyd protests in New York City, the SBA doxxed NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s daughter by tweeting a photo of her arrest record shortly after she was arrested for taking part in the protest. The arrest record contained her home address, date of birth and state ID number, among other information, and was later taken down.[16]