NEW YORK -- A police lieutenant who once reported seeing a "demon" at police headquarters is suing to get his gun and shield back, claiming supervisors took them from him because of his religious practices.
Dominic Maglione, a desk officer at Brooklyn's 90th Precinct, says in a lawsuit filed in Manhattan's state Supreme Court that he is a Christian who worships at two Queens churches and prays and fasts regularly.
Maglione, 44, acknowledged in interviews with psychiatrists after he was admitted to a hospital 2 1/2 years ago that he was praying as much as 10 hours at a stretch and fasting twice a week, court papers say.
At the hospital, Maglione told a medical professional that he had seen a demon at police headquarters, according to a police board medical report dated Dec. 19, 2008, that was included with Maglione's court papers.
The report also says the lieutenant lost 40 pounds in six months by fasting, and urinated on himself because he refused to stop praying to go to the bathroom.
The medical board report said there are "significant psychological findings precluding the officer from performing the full duties of a New York City police officer."
"The Medical Board believes that the lieutenant cannot be allowed to be in possession of any weapons since he feels subject to God's will to do what God wants him to do even if he destroys himself," the report says.
The report also says Maglione was given the anti-psychotic drug olanzapine, usually prescribed for people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It says he took it once and refused to take it again.
The 22-year police veteran says that because of his allegedly "excessive" religious beliefs, police officials have "wrongfully and illegally" confiscated his gun and badge and compromised his ability to do his job.
Maglione's lawsuit, filed Feb. 19, says that curtailing his duties because of his religious practices violates his First Amendment rights. He asked the court to order his return to full police work.
City Law Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Thomas said city attorneys are reviewing the lawsuit.
He clearly doesn't have any issues that might impede his judgment. They're just doing this because he's a Christian.
Mayabird is my girlfriend
Justice League:BotM:MM:SDnet City Watch:Cybertron's Finest "Well then, science is bullshit. "
-revprez, with yet another brilliant rebuttal.
Maglione's lawsuit, filed Feb. 19, says that curtailing his duties because of his religious practices violates his First Amendment rights. He asked the court to order his return to full police work.
He's claiming seeing demons and endangering his health as a result is a first amendment right? Uh. . .okay, yeah. Good luck with that. I'd be concerned if this were, say, Florida, but in New York? Yeah, I'll be amazed if the judge doesn't laugh this out of court outright.
"It's you Americans. There's something about nipples you hate. If this were Germany, we'd be romping around naked on the stage here."
I find it amusing that in a place where likely half the force goes to church and thinks of themselves as upstanding citizens, the one guy who outdoes them by praying 10 hours a day is obviously insane, because everybody knows God only needs you to worship him for an hour on Sundays and certainly would never expect you to identify or do anything about demons.
Note: I'm semi-retired from the board, so if you need something, please be patient.
Tolya wrote:Right. So when you say you believe in an omniscient God that nobody has ever seen or met, then you are okay.
But when you do something stupid because of it (like praying over prolonged periods of time or urinating on yourself) then you are insane.
And it doesn't occur to you that both things are equally irrational?
Toss your views of religion to the side for a moment.
THe problem is the EXTREME to which this person took his practices. 1 hour a week i not hurting anyone. it's no different then watching back to back episodes of 'Everybody Loves Raymond' or something like that.
He caused them to interfer with his decision making, ability to work, and his health, which further impacts things. That's the issue. Not if religions are insane to begin with.
I've been asked why I still follow a few of the people I know on Facebook with 'interesting political habits and view points'.
It's so when they comment on or approve of something, I know what pages to block/what not to vote for.
Tolya wrote:Why am I not surprised. Worshipping God for an hour on Sunday - good Christian.
Worshipping God 10 hours a week and seeing a demon - insane.
The line separating the both is a little bit blurry.
Richard Dawkins' book is called 'The God Delusion' - he believes religionists are deluded, but not insane. Of course, the delusion can cause performing actually insane acts or lead to other insane beliefs.
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Well, the guys praying once a week on Sundays are rather harmless. The guy who sees demons in hallways can just as easily see one on the street and shoot at it with, you know, the gun he is supposed to carry around at work.
It's kind of a tacit admisssion by society at large that the Good Book isn't really all that important. I mean, five hundred years ago people would have gone apeshit after that guy said he saw a demon. Right now they recognize him as a dangerous lunatic.
Obviously, if the people professing Strong Belief In God really believed what the Bible said, they'd have no trouble accepting the fact that a demon could be trying to mindfuck police officers and bring about the rule of SATAN.
JULY 20TH 1969 - The day the entire world was looking up
It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small. - NEIL ARMSTRONG, MISSION COMMANDER, APOLLO 11
Signature dedicated to the greatest achievement of mankind.
MILDLY DERANGED PHYSICIST does not mind BREAKING the SOUND BARRIER, because it is INSURED. - Simon_Jester considering the problems of hypersonic flight for Team L.A.M.E.
Seeing the follow-ups on that Greyhound beheading incident in N&P, I have to wonder if it's just a matter of time until this guy goes off too, or if he's going to actually get treatment.
Mayabird is my girlfriend
Justice League:BotM:MM:SDnet City Watch:Cybertron's Finest "Well then, science is bullshit. "
-revprez, with yet another brilliant rebuttal.
