Ecuadorean immigrant Marcelo Lucero was killed five years ago; he was stabbed by multiple teenagers in an anti-Latino rage that was trending in the waterfront village of Patchogue, Long Island. Despite the severity of the heinous crime, the fatal attack was the conclusive strike by a group of men who'd been attacking other Latino men with impunity for quite some time. Police were repeatedly informed about the violent antics, and police remain resigned until the fatality of Lucero. The attack shined a light on anti-immigrant violence and sentiment in the area, and the inactivity of the local police department. The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, upon investigation of the county police, found that officers had routinely misclassified bias attacks as mere "youth disturbances."

On the outskirts of NYC, the easternmost suburban county that makes up the central and eastern portions of Long Island, Suffolk County is in the news again... this time for the police department's overt maltreatment of Latino males. Police officers in the county have been placed under federal monitoring, after being accused of robbing Latino men after pulling them over for discriminatory traffic stops.

The New York Times reports that multiple men, many without legal residency, were preyed upon by the county's crooked cops. Latino men were asked to step out of their vehicles, and when they were asked to turn away, officers would slip contents from the men's wallets.

Sgt. Scott A. Greene is the foremost officer who has been found guilty of discriminatory theft, according to officials. The 25-year veteran was caught in the act by an undercover Latino officer, which led to Greene's eventual arrest, penalized for official misconduct and petty larceny. Greene allegedly took a $100 dollar bill from an envelope that the undercover officer had under the driver's seat. A discreet video camera, hidden inside the undercover vehicle, caught Greene removing the $100 bill from an envelope filled with $1,200 in marked bills. Greene had stopped the undercover officer without providing a reason.

Greene, 50, was arrested during a sting operation in late January, and pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against him, though more of his victims have step forward, accusing the former police sergeant of targeting and robbing them.

"I just felt powerless when this happened, because what could I do if he was a policeman," said a 35-year-old Mexican immigrant, who said the officer took a $100 bill from his wallet during a traffic stop nearly two years ago. "Police are supposed to be there to serve, protect and help people, not to harass them."

Greene is currently out on bail, and made his first court appearance since January this past Thursday. His next court date is for April 23. The other three men who Greene took money from over the last three years asked that their name be withheld, fearing retaliation.

In another case, an officer forcefully shouted, "Don't turn around" to a Latino construction worker as the officer plucked $200 from the man's wallet. Immigrant advocate groups have told Newsday that they know of at least 13 Latino men who came forward to say that a Suffolk County police officer stopped their vehicles, frisked them and took cash.

The serial practice has become widespread in the community and perpetrated unique against Latino males, who are reluctant to step forward due to their status. The violation of low-income or vulnerable citizens during arrests and stops is just a part of the greater contempt for Latinos and people of color. The investigation that's pending, regarding the county's treatment of Latinos, presently fails to take the thefts into account.

"We're concerned about how forceful and comprehensive this investigation really is," Juan Cartagena, president and general counsel of LatinoJustice PRLDEF, an advocacy group said. "This is the same police department that has demonstrated an inability to protect Latinos for years now."

The salary for a Suffolk County police officer with five years of experience is $108,068, according to Gothamist, while the median income for an undocumented household is $36,000 annually.

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