Former president of city sergeant's union placed on modified duty, NYPD says

Edward Mullins, who resigned Tuesday as head of the Sergeants Benevolent Association after FBI agents searched his Port Washington home, has been placed on modified assignment by the NYPD, according to a department spokesman.

Under labor contract rules, since he is no longer a union official, Mullins is also no longer excused from having to report for regular daily work as a cop.

But it was unclear Wednesday afternoon if Mullins had filed for retirement, a procedure that would effectively take him out of the loop for duty assignment.

One former NYPD official familiar with department policies said that one complication for Mullins filing for retirement now is that he currently faces internal department charges stemming from the release of arrest information about Mayor Bill de Blasio’s daughter earlier in the year during police protests.

At a joint media availability with de Blasio Wednesday, NYPD commissioner Dermot Shea acknowledged that the Mullins probe was part of joint Internal Affairs Bureau and FBI task force matter. He declined to comment further.

Retiring when charges are pending would prevent an officer from getting a good reference from the NYPD, the former official said.

The SBA executive board late Tuesday sent out a notice to its estimated 13,000 active duty and retired members that Mullins was "apparently" a target of a federal investigation following FBI raids on the union offices and Mullins home on Long Island. The exact subject of the investigation being carried out by the U.S. Attorneys Office for Manhattan was not known late Wednesday

"Given the severity of this matter and the uncertainty of its outcome, the SBA executive board has requested President Mullins resign from his position as SBA president …. President Mullins has agreed to tender his resignation as President of the SBA," the notice said.

Being placed on modified status means that an officer is given a desk job, without a gun or badge, said officials familiar with NYPD procedure.

An NYPD spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a question about whether the FBI search automatically triggered the duty modification of Mullins or whether he had filed retirement papers. Neither Mullins nor his attorney could be immediately reached for comment.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.