Former Tennis Pro James Blake Meets With De Blasio, Bratton
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- James Blake, the former tennis star who was tackled during a mistaken arrest by a New York City police officer, met Monday with the mayor and police commissioner.
Blake met for nearly two hours with Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton on Monday, 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported.
"We're not looking for a quick lawsuit," Blake said.
As CBS2's Valerie Castro reported, Blake recounted his face-to-face meeting as he spoke outside City Hall afterward.
"The meeting was very civil. The meeting was one where we were all on the same page and we were all looking to get the same result," Blake said.
Former Tennis Pro James Blake Meets With De Blasio, Bratton
Blake said he wants reform within the NYPD after he was mistakenly arrested earlier this month during his stay in New York for the US Open.
In the arrest video released by the NYPD, Blake can be seen standing in a blue shirt outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Wednesday, Sept. 9, when an undercover officer in plain blue clothes runs up to him, pulls him to the ground, and secures his hands behind his back to handcuff him.
The officer, James Frascatore, is part of the department's Financial Crimes Task Force. The NYPD mistook Blake for what they thought was a known suspect.
It was only after a retired NYPD detective nearby happened to recognize Blake and identified him that he was let go.
Former Tennis Pro James Blake Meets With De Blasio, Bratton
Police said members of a financial crimes task force were at the hotel investigating $18,000 in fraudulent credit card purchases from an online shopping delivery service.
Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said a courier making a delivery mistakenly identified Blake as a suspect who he had delivered to in the past.
Frasctore is a four-year veteran of the force, who is now on desk duty while an internal investigation is conducted.
"It means no shield and no gun, and that will continue until the process has run its course," said Blake's attorney, Kevin Marino.
Blake said he hopes continued meetings bring out the change the NYPD needs.
"We're not looking for anything that's going to be a quick and easy solution," he said. "We're looking for a lasting positive impact on the city and on the police force."
The mayor and commissioner released a statement, saying in part, "We pledged a fair and expeditious investigation into his case, and to find further common ground as we continue the work of reform."
Mayor de Blasio said he stressed how changes are being made at the NYPD.
"We are retraining our entire patrol force, which has never been done before. We're focused on a better relationship between police and community, and reducing any unnecessary use of force," he said.
The mayor and police commissioner have apologized to Blake. The officer has been placed on desk duty, but Blake said he should lose his job.
Also Monday, several City Council members announced they would push bills to create an NYPD Early Intervention System to take action on over-aggressive police officers.
The bill would require that the system identify officers who might be prone to excessive force and need additional training. The system would consider factors such as complaints against officers, the results of investigations by the NYPD and the Civilian Complaint Review Board, and records of incidents involving force.
The councilmembers noted that the officer involved, James Fracastore, had a history of excessive force allegations against him.
"The NYPD needs to intervene faster where there are officers who are prone to excessive force. The vast majority of our police officers are well-prepared to calmly and appropriately handle arrests, and do so every day, but there are obviously those who need additional support," said Council Member Dan Garodnick (D-4th) in a news release.
"We need to establish a baseline to understand which officers need help so that we can quantify complaints and better understand the data," added Council Member Jumaane Williams (D-45th). "Let's track it, let's monitor it, and let's make sure that the NYPD has a plan to address it."
Blake, who had been ranked as high as No. 4 in the world and reached three Grand Slam quarterfinals, retired after the 2013 U.S. Open.
He won 10 singles titles, most recently in 2007. Twice he reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open, a hometown tournament that seemed to bring out his best play.
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
