The U.S. Open drew plenty of media attention this weekend, but not all of it was focused on tennis. The latest case of police brutality in New York City involved tennis player James Blake, formerly ranked number four in the world for men’s tennis, as he was violently tackled and detained by a plainclothes NYPD officer. The officer, who misidentified Blake as the perpetrator of a credit card scam, has since been assigned to desk duty and stripped of his badge and gun pending investigation. Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, angrily denounced the punitive action, calling it “premature and unwarranted”. The actions of Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Police Department show that they are doing everything they can to leave the incident behind them, rather than taking the opportunity to be introspective and improve the practices of the city’s police force. Needless to say, this is the wrong path. Instead, the NYPD should rein in their union bloodhounds and implement a swift investigation.

The officer in question, James Frascatore, does not have a clean track record when it comes to excessive force in arrests. In 2012, he was accused of pulling over a man for a broken taillight and punching him 3 times in the mouth. The next year, a Queens man claimed Frascatore punched him in the stomach before referring to him with a racial slur. In 2014, he was subject to five complaints over the course of seven months, more complaints than 90 percent of officers receive in their entire careers. The NYPD refused to release Frascatore’s rank or assignment, and declined to mention if he had received any disciplinary action for these earlier incidents, casting doubt on whether the NYPD is truly committed to accountability.

In July of last year, Eric Garner died after NYPD officers placed him in a chokehold for illegally selling cigarettes on a street corner. A video of the incident surfaced online, where Garner is heard gasping “I can’t breathe” as the officers maintain their chokehold. This failure of New York City’s finest to protect and serve the public sparked protests across the country, which only grew stronger after a grand jury declined to indict the officer responsible for Garner’s death. Despite the cries of Americans and New Yorkers alike, the NYPD shows no apparent signs of change.

Perhaps the most alarming part of this story is that we likely would not have heard about it had Blake not been a famous tennis star. It is past time for the blue wall of silence to be torn down. NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton must go further than an apology and deal with the issue of police brutality head-on. Incidents such as these should be dealt with firmly and swiftly, to signal the people of New York City that citizens, not officers, come first.

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