What happens when the law goes absent

NYPD union roasts Express for wanting to drop serial thief’s case

By 

Tina Moore

A police union wrote a scathing letter to a major clothing chain after it told a manager to drop a case against a serial thief who allegedly injured an NYPD officer in Times Square, calling the move “counter-productive to the safety of your establishment, to our members, and the public,” the Post has learned.

Det. Joseph DeBarro was on “special detail” when he responded to a call about shoplifting at the Express store at West 45th Street and Seventh Avenue on Dec. 11, the letter signed by Detectives Endowment Association President Paul DiGiacomo states.

Once at the store, DeBarro allegedly caught Jovan Ortiz – who has more than 30 arrests on his record – with a stolen purple coat, belt, overalls and a dress, police said. But when the officer tried to arrest him, Ortiz fought back, according to the letter dated Dec. 20.