April 23, 2026
NYPD Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard expressed his displeasure at officers serving without the proper equipment.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) has revealed that the detectives involved in a viral Brooklyn arrest were not equipped with body cameras and utilized the messaging app WhatsApp to coordinate backup.
The incident, which took place outside a Bedford-Stuyvesant liquor store, gained national attention after footage showed 34-year-old Andre Williams being forcefully detained by officers who had mistaken him for a drug dealer. Despite Williams’ audible pleas that he was not resisting, he was pinned to the ground and handcuffed before being released without charges.
In a follow-up investigation into the tactics used during the encounter, the NYPD confirmed that the detectives were part of a specialized unit. The unit is currently exempt from the department’s general body-camera mandate, Fox 5 reported. NYPD patrol officers have been required to wear cameras since 2019. However, many undercover and plainclothes units remain unequipped.
Further review of video evidence obtained by Fox 5 revealed that the detectives did not use standard police radio frequencies to contact back up. Instead, officers utilized a WhatsApp group call to alert nearby units. The provided video shows an unidentified detective complaining about the mode of communication.
Just as disturbing as the NYPD Commissioner says she found this video, how about the last 10 seconds of the video where what appears to be another narcotics officer says “Any of these guys don’t get a radio ASAP, I’m making a big fuc*ing problem. Not doing this WhatsApp shi* no… https://t.co/KR4WH0MInX
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 15, 2026
“Any of these guys don’t get a radio ASAP, I’m making a big f***ing problem. I’m not doing this WhatsApp s*** no more,” the detective said. He added, “How are these f***ing guys coming to work unprepared? No one does anything.”
NYPD Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard expressed his displeasure at officers serving without the proper equipment. He also acknowledged that the arrest was unwarranted.
“If this had been the right guy, and he had a firearm on him, they would have to use WhatsApp to call or backup. That’s insane,” Sheppard said. “You should have a radio on you to get help when you need it, and as you see, that was the problem here,” Sheppard said. “It took so long for them to find where their guys were, and to be able to communicate.”
The NYPD maintains that the detectives acted within current guidelines, given the nature of their assignment.
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