Auxiliary Officer Protests Arrest for Having MACE

The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang HELD TO AN UNFAIR STANDARD?: Auxiliary Police Officer Alexander A. Gonzalez questions the ban against him carrying MACE, saying civilians are permitted to do so 'and we are members of the NYPD and we can't.'

Auxiliary Police Officer Alexander A. Gonzalez, who was arrested for carrying MACE while on-duty, expressed dismay over the charges, which he said might jeopardize his ability to work at his paying job as a security guard.

"At most he broke a department violation, but to be charged with a crime?" said William Rivera, who is the founder of the Auxiliary Supervisors Benevolent Association. "It's not a crime."

The NYPD's chief spokesman, Paul J. Browne, said that MACE is illegal, though some forms of pepper spray are not.

Jailed for 7 Hours

Mr. Gonzalez drove 3½ hours from Pennsylvania on the Fourth of July to work as an Auxiliary Police Officer. Mr. Gonzalez, who works another job as a bail bondsman, was running late and did not realize he had MACE still on his belt.

He was surprised when a Captain picked him out of a line of his colleagues, and even more so when he was handcuffed, ultimately spending seven hours in jail. "It's scary, because I'm with the NYPD, working together with the law enforcement," Mr. Gonzalez said. "I didn't do nothing wrong. I don't think it is the right thing to be arrested like a regular criminal."

Mr. Gonzalez, a 3½-year veteran, has been suspended indefinitely from the Auxiliary force while he awaits a July 28 court date on charges of carrying a noxious substance. He is concerned that the charge could jeopardize his security guard license and his other jobs. "I don't want to have that on my record," he said, before adding that he thought MACE was legal.

Mr. Rivera said that his union would continue to fight for a new rule that would allow auxiliary officers to carry MACE just like their NYPD counterparts. Mr. Gonzalez said, "I think it is a bad and wrong rule because civilians carry MACE and pepper spray, and we are members of the NYPD, and we can't."