The NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association announced on Wednesday that the union would give a $500 reward to citizens who come to the aid of cops in violent confrontations with suspects resisting arrest, according to AMNY.com.
"Too often we see police officers engaged in violent struggles with perpetrators while members of the public stand by and take videos of the incident with their cellphone cameras," said SBA president Ed Mullins in a statement. "This has got to stop, and hopefully this program will incentivize Good Samaritans to do the right thing."
Some NYPD officials were quick to state that the reward program could present some legal liability in the event that a Good Samaritan is injured in a confrontation with a suspect, or if that individual goes from Good Samaritan to Vigilante.
"The NYPD encourages people to support their cops by calling 911," said NYPD spokesman Phil Walzak. "The department doesn’t want to see people put in harm’s way unnecessarily to collect a reward."
