Nassau Legislator Wants Review Of Former Officer Who Used Slur

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — After a video surfaced of a former Nassau County police officer using racial slurs to describe Black Lives Matters protesters, Nassau Legislator Carrié Solages is calling for a review of the officer's past cases to see if there was any bias in his police work.

In the video, a man identified as former Nassau County police officer Edward Serrao is confronted by two men during protests in Merrick. They ask him to repeat something he said before they were recording. Looking straight into the camera, Serrao says, "We got [n-word]s here now." The man recording the video then spits on Serrao, and Serrao spits on him in response.

Solages, a Democrat from Valley Stream, is the ranking member of the legislature's Minority Affairs committee. He penned a letter to Nassau County Executive Laura Curran on June 9 asking for officials to conduct a review of Serrao's arrests and convictions, as well as any testimony he may have provided in his time as a police officer, for possible racial biases.

The video was posted online June 4. Afterward, Newsday interviewed Serrao and he repeatedly used the n-word and did not apologize for his comments. Curran and police Commissioner Patrick Ryder have denounced Serrao's conduct and said he has been off the force for more than two years.

“While it is important not to paint all police officers with a broad brush, in my opinion, former officer Serrao displayed obvious racial bias and there is serious concern that such bias may have affected the way he carried out his official duties, including testimony that he provided under oath,” Solages wrote in his letter. “Convictions secured against minority defendants based on former officer Serrao’s testimony could be tainted by the blatant racism that he displayed.”