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All Paul Vogel wanted was to report people parking illegally on sidewalks in Brooklyn. Instead, he received a series of strange and unsettling voicemails. In 2021, Vogel began receiving odd messages after filing 311 complaints about cars parked on sidewalks near the 77th Precinct. The voicemails featured dolphin noises, sheep sounds, heavy breathing, and even someone pretending to be a romantic partner. “I thoug
ht, ‘This is s
tupid to leave a messa
ge,'” V
ogel said. Last month, NYPD Officer Brendan Sullivan admitted he was behind the bizarre calls. According to a ruling by the city’s Conflict of Interest Board, Sullivan used his NYPD-issued phone to leave the prank messages, including inappropriate behavior like pretending to be in a romantic relationship. “Drawing attention to that abuse, it’s corruption,” Vogel said. “If people are corrupt in small things, they’re more likely to be corrupt in big things.” Officer Sullivan’s actions go beyond prank voicemails. According to NYPD records, Sullivan was charged and placed on probation for one year after sending offensive texts to another officer and providing false statements during a police investigation. A complaint of verbal sexual harassment against him was also found to be credible by the Civilian Complaint Review Board. Sullivan faced penalties for the six voicemails he sent to Vogel. He was fined $500 and forfeited 60 vacation days, valued at approximately $24,000. “In some ways, I was kind of surprised,” Vogel said. “I wouldn’t think they would hand out such a significant penalty, but on the other hand, he’s still a cop. It’s just some vacation days.” According to city records, Officer Sullivan earned more than $130,000 in fiscal year 2022. ”