NYC Trash Can That Housed Improperly Discarded NYPD Docs Found in Trash

Bucky Turco at Animal NY, who is either the most vigilant police precinct passerby (or, if you listen to NYPD spokesman Paul Browne, something of a dumpster diver) has noted on two separate occasions that the NYPD might not be discarding their police paperwork properly. In one case, the very public trash can outside of the NYPD's Manhattan South Task Force station on 42nd Street was found to include an NYPD counterterrorism plan marked "law enforcement sensitive." More recently, police documents on how to identify drunks (and how much cops can drink, themselves, on duty) were found in that very same trash. At that point, we wondered not only about the wisdom of discarding business docs in a public garbage bin as a matter of security...but also, isn't it illegal to do that? Didn't a granny just get busted, with a hundred buck fine? (She did.)

Our friends over at the Department of Sanitation told us then that they "truly, truly doubt that NYPD would discard anything of official business in DS trashcan." And yet...now, the trash can itself has been discarded! What does this mean? Is this a Sanitation call, or a brute-force NYPD move to prevent further improperly tossed items? Or is this just the Internet eating its own tail? Or simply...coincidence?

We have contacted Sanitation for further comment, and will update when we hear back. In the meantime, as Turco points out, console yourself with the appearance, at least, that the NYPD has a shredder.

Notorious Trash Can Confined to Dumpster [Animal NY]

[JDoll / @thisisjendoll]

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