NYPD union chief resigns after FBI raid

Ed Mullins, president of the New York Police Department (NYPD) Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA) union, resigned on Tuesday evening, less than a day after the FBI raided the union’s headquarters.

The Tuesday morning raid was part of “an ongoing investigation,” the FBI said. The law enforcement agency has not yet disclosed further details on what precipitated the raid.

“The nature and scope of this criminal investigation has yet to be determined. However, it is clear that President Mullins is apparently the target of the federal investigation,” the SBA executive board said in a letter to its members. “We have no reason to believe that any other member of the SBA is involved or targeted in this matter.”

The SBA board affirmed that it would “fully cooperate” with law enforcement officials carrying out the investigation.

“Given the severity of this matter and the uncertainty of its outcome, the SBA Executive Board has requested that President Mullins resign from his position as SBA President. This evening, President Mullins has agreed to tender his resignation as President of the SBA,” the board said.

The board asked members to “withhold judgement until all the facts have been established.”

The SBA currently claims to represent around 13,000 active and retired NYPD sergeants.

Ed Mullins, head of the New York City police union whose offices were raided by the FBI earlier today, has resigned. https://t.co/CetOBHw3KR

— Axios (@axios) October 6, 2021

Mullins is known to be a fervent critic of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D). He came under fire last year when information about de Blasio’s daughter being arrested at a George Floyd protest was shared by the SBA’s Twitter account.

Former two-term NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton once described Mullins to New York Magazine as “a thorn in the side of four commissioners.”

The magazine noted that Mullins is known to have made several controversial public comments in the past, including once comparing an arrested NFL player to a “wild animal.” Many of his comments were made through the SBA’s official Twitter account, which he had control over.

In another instance, Mullins called Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) a “first-class whore.”