A 20-year decorated veteran of the NYPD celebrated his Independence Day a little early by retiring and giving the department brass the finger.
Thomas J. Gambardella, 41, of Staten Island, published a picture on Facebook of himself turning the bird at a memorial to fallen officers inside NYPD head office, while using a T-shirt checking out “Let’s Go Brandon,” following his main retirement from the force 2 weeks earlier.
“I’m officially retired today!” he wrote in a post at the time. “From this sorry excuse of a s–t job. Thank God, I’m free at last!… I loved everyone I worked with and ‘some’ of the people I’ve worked for. But this job is no one’s friend. Time to live free. I’ll see you all out there!”
Gambardella, who was most just recently an investigator sergeant, informed The Post on Saturday that he enjoyed his task when he began– however the gig turned “s– t” due to the city’s progressively soft-on-crime policies.
“I was a true believer,” Gambardella, who originates from an police family, talked about his early years on the beat. “I wasn’t a bag of s–t. I worked some intricate details. I gave a lot of my blood, sweat and tears. But no more.”
A mix of significantly liberal policies and what he stated was the NYPD’s stranglehold over every element of his life led him to sour on the job.
“It’s the worst f–king job in the world,” Gambardella said. “They own you. They’re not your friends. All that talk about the ‘big blue family.’ They don’t care. If I die tomorrow they wouldn’t give a sh-t. If I needed something it ain’t gonna happen. I’m better off just saying a prayer.”
The potty-mouthed previous officer stated he was revolted by the increased hostility towards authorities, contacts us to defund the NYPD, and crackdowns on what police might or might refrain from doing.
“Crime is soaring and cops are leaving in droves,” Gambardella said. “Anybody can see that. All this liberalism is obviously a failure. But this is what they wanted. It’s a stupid experiment and it’s the people who will pay in the end.”
Gambardella stated he has actually gotten some backlash to his pictures and posts, though very little.
The statue he took aim at portrays a policeman watching the child of a fallen police officer- and a number of existing and retired NYPD investigators stated they were stung and outraged by seeing the picture of Gambardella providing it the finger in One Police Plaza.
One retired investigator stated that officers will typically purchase mini variations of the statue for households of killed polices with the hero’s badge number on it.
“I have a disease,” Gambardella said. “It’s called diarrhea of the mouth. People who know me know I’m like this. I don’t cower down.”
Gambardella, who is divorced with 3 kids, stated police officers were treated well under Mayor Michael Bloomberg and previous police commissioner Ray Kelly, and the general public was much better off with them, too.
“The minute they stopped the quality of life enforcement that was the beginning of the end,” he said. “Just having people know they could get a response from a noise complaint was a big deal. But that’s all long gone.”
Gambardella, who stated he was made Officer of the Year in 2006 when he operated in the 68th precinct in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, signed up with the force in July 2002. He was most just recently in the investigator team at the 70th precinct in Kensington.
According to city records, he made $164,000 last year.
More than 2,119 NYPD officers have either resigned or retired so far this year– on rate to be the most significant exodus of officers considering that the data have actually been offered.
Some 524 polices have actually resigned and 1,072 have actually retired since May 31, NYPD pension statistics gotten by The Post last month showed. In June alone, 523 officers left, with 400 retiring and 123 resigning, the most resignations in a single month in at least ten years.
Of the 2,119 who are leaving, 1,472 are retiring and 647 are resigning, a 38% spike over the previous record of 1,535 for the very first 6 months of 2020, the attrition numbers reveal.
Gambardella had actually 14 complaints lodged against him, according to records which reveal he was exonerated in 4 while 6 were considered “unsubstantiated” and one “unfounded.” None appeared to lead to disciplinary action.
“The majority of officers who are retire are proud of their careers and their service with the NYPD,” a high-ranking police source told The Post when asked about Gambardella.
H/T: NYpost
