New York City's top cop is upset that the city's legal department isn't defending a police inspector who doused a group of women with pepper spray during the Occupy Wall Street protests.
Chief city lawyer Michael Cardozo says NYPD Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna violated agency rules when he used the spray on a group of demonstrators waiting on the sidewalk.
As a result, Bologna is paying for his own defense in a civil lawsuit filed by the women, and might have to pay damages out of his own pocket.
But Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Friday that the city's stance could have a "chilling effect" on police officers.
He told reporters it might make some officers hesitate to "engage."
Bologna's lawyer says his client acted appropriately and within department guidelines.
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