Police Officer Sues NYPD After Being Denied Pay For Wearing Trump Patch

An NYPD law enforcement officer is suing the NYPD to give her 40 days of pay after she lost pay for wearing a Trump patch while on duty.

Sgt. Dana Martillo wore a “Trump Make Enforcement Great Again” patch while on duty back in February of 2021.

Sgt. Martillo stated if she was to wear an LGBTQ patch then the NYPD would have never investigated her and suspended her pay.

In response to the Sgt. Martillo former police commissioner Dermot Shea stated  “Members of the NYPD must remain apolitical- It’s essential to public trust & officers’ ability to perform their jobs.”

New York Police Department Sgt. Dana Martillo, who was disciplined for wearing a patch in favor of former President Donald Trump, filed a lawsuit Tuesday to recover back pay. https://t.co/3RXuE1kZuk

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) January 26, 2023

NYPD cop disciplined for wearing Trump patch sues to overturn losing 40-days pay https://t.co/n9r6l7U3H5 pic.twitter.com/etSVTlTyzS

— New York Post (@nypost) January 24, 2023

Fox News had more details to add:

An NYPD officer is taking legal action, asking a judge to overturn 40 days of lost pay stemming from a pro-Trump patch she wore on duty.

NYPD Sgt. Dana Martillo and attorney Joseph W. Murray joined “Fox & Friends First” Thursday to discuss the lawsuit and why the consequences can be seen as a double standard as the department is expected to remain “apolitical.”

“It was funny, because the judge had asked me if he thought – or if I thought, rather – my actions were appropriate,” Martillo told co-host Todd Piro. “I looked at him and I said, ‘I don’t think they were inappropriate.’ He asked me to elaborate, and I explained if it was an American flag, a Dominican flag, or an LGBT patch, no one would have cared or said anything… I believe it left him speechless.”

According to the New York Post, Martillo filed the lawsuit earlier this week, alleging an unfair administrative trial. She claims the investigation was “very biased and politically motivated.”

Martillo wore the “Trump Make Enforcement Great Again” patch while on duty in February 2021 when she was working at a Black Lives Matter protest. A video circulated online and the department was quick to respond.

“Members of the NYPD must remain apolitical- It’s essential to public trust & officers’ ability to perform their jobs,” former Police Commissioner Dermot Shea tweeted.

https://twitter.com/kikibartle53/status/1618396782186172417

Newsmax reported the lawsuit too:

New York Police Department Sgt. Dana Martillo, who was disciplined for wearing a patch in favor of former President Donald Trump, filed a lawsuit Tuesday to recover back pay.

The suit, obtained by the New York Post, came after the NYPD suspended Martillo for 10 days and docked an additional 30 days of vacation due to her wearing a “Trump Make Enforcement Great Again 2020” patch last year on duty.

In the administrative trial in which which she was found guilty, it was revealed that Martillo wore another patch featuring a Punisher skull logo with Trump’s signature hairstyle, a symbol popular with the militia group Three Percenters.

Martillo has argued that the investigation against her, which led to 40 days of lost pay, was “very biased and politically motivated,” with the charges and determination being “completely bogus and premised upon false facts.”

NYPD officer goes to court over punishment for Trump patch, says she left judge 'speechless' https://t.co/4yzsiNHk59 pic.twitter.com/pBPZlOqkXD

— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 26, 2023