‘Pepper spray’ cop sent to Staten Island

Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna, in action at an Occupy Wall Street protest.

A month after pepper-spraying a penned-in protester at Occupy Wall Street, Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna was finally transferred out of Manhattan South – and back home to Staten Island, the Daily News reported.

Bologna, 57, will become special projects coordinator at the command headquarters in New Dorp, only a few miles from his home in Westerleigh, the Staten Island Advance notes.

He also has been penalized 10 vacation days after videos caught him from several angles on Sept. 24 pepper-spraying a group of female protesters who were doing little more than yelling from behind a police barricade.

Bologna later said he was aiming at men who were trying to grab the legs of police holding the orange containment net around protesters, the Daily News said. However, none of the videos shows any such men, and the spray went face-level right at the women, not at the officers’ legs.

Bologna then put the canister back in his holster and walked away.

Eventually, the senior officer was tracked down by a hacker group called “Anonymous,” which released personal information that included his address, the names of family members and a lawsuit against him.

After the 29-year-veteran cop was penalized the vacation time, a law enforcement source told the Advance that the punishment appeared to be a slap on the wrist.

“They didn’t hurt this guy. They’re not dumping him, they’re taking care of him,” the source told the paper.

About Barry Lank

Barry Lank is a former TV and radio writer, and, like most people, was editor of the Courier-Post opinion page in Cherry Hill, at some point. If you look up, you'll realize he's watching you read this. | View all posts by Barry Lank