Dear Fellow Sergeant,

As you know, the recently concluded elections in New York City have resulted in a drastic political shift from the last four years.

A new mayoral administration will bring a new team of deputy mayors and commissioners that will reshape every municipal agency, and especially the NYPD.

It is no secret that that the SBA, along with every single law enforcement union in the city, vigorously and publicly opposed the candidacy of the new mayor-elect for many reasons.

But the citizens of New York, who we proudly serve and protect every day, have spoken.

There will undoubtably be many areas of disagreement between our union and the new administration.

However, just as we have done in the past, our opposition will be heard loud and clear and your voices will be heard.

But strong disagreements and vastly different visions for our agency and our city will not, in any way, prevent us from vigorously pursuing our most important agenda, which is enhancing your salaries and benefits and improving your working conditions.

Your SBA leadership team is not ducking out, we are doubling down on our fight for the issues that matter most to you and your families.

Front and center of this fight is our ongoing pursuit to fix the gross inequities caused by the Tier III pension system.

Our legislative team is already working on a robust legislative agenda in Albany to hit the ground running when the new legislative session begins in January 2026.

We will be marching in lockstep with all the other law enforcement unions lobbying in Albany for the changes to Tier III that are long overdue.

While these are extremely uncertain times in our city, NYPD Sergeants are ready to step up and meet the challenges that lie ahead.

And rest assured, the SBA Board and I will have your backs every step of the way.

Fraternally,

Vincent J. Vallelong
President
Sergeants Benevolent Association

Dear Fellow Sergeant,

In a shocking verdict on February 6th, Sgt. Erik Duran was found guilty of manslaughter for an on-duty incident that occurred while he was taking appropriate police action in August of 2023.

We are deeply disappointed by Judge Guy Mitchell’s decision after a bench trial in the Bronx.

His verdict was clearly in contrast to the weight of the credible evidence presented throughout the trial.

Outrageous verdicts, such as this one, sends a terrible message to hard-working cops everywhere:
Should you use force to defend yourself, your fellow officers, or the citizens of the City, no matter how justified your actions, you risk being publicly vilified and convicted of scurrilous charges that were brought for no other reason than than the reckless pursuit of political ideology and expediency.

We vigorously maintain Sgt. Duran’s innocence.

Our attorneys are reviewing all legal options and we will fight tirelessly to overturn this egregious verdict.

Please keep Sgt. Duran in your thoughts and prayers and know that the SBA’s fight for his freedom and his total exoneration is far from over.

Fraternally,

Vincent J. Vallelong
President
Sergeants Benevolent Association

Dear Fellow Sergeant,

The line of duty death of Police Officer Didarul Islam of the 47 Precinct on the evening of July 28 was a tragedy of epic proportions. The 36-year-old officer was one of four people shot and killed by a deranged gunman who had traveled to New York from Las Vegas with the sole purpose of perpetrating mass murder. A fifth victim was shot and critically wounded.

PO Islam, a native of Bangladesh, was the married father of two children. He and his wife were expecting their third child next month.

He was on assignment with the Paid Detail Unit, earning extra money to help care for his growing family. They were living their version of the American Dream.

As law enforcement personnel, we are used to seeing despair and heartbreak up close but what the Islam family is experiencing is unfathomable.

In addition to PO Islam, three civilians were killed by the gunman. Another victim was shot and critically wounded. While the gunman took his own life, the damage he inflicted on so many families, as well as society as a whole, will reverberate forever.

PO Islam’s lifelong ambition was to be a Police Officer. He worked hard to bring that dream to fruition when he was appointed to the NYPD in December 2021. He was also a devoted husband and father and loving son.

By any standard, PO Islam is a true hero. Not just because the final actions of his interrupted life quite possibly saved many more lives, but because of the way he lived his life.

In the end, he made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of others. We cannot ask for or expect any more than that because there is nothing more noble or gallant than that.

As in all messages to the SBA membership, we urge you to remain steadfastly vigilant in all you do, regardless of where you are working or what type of assignment you are on.

These moments of madness come without warning. This is the world that we now live in. It is our duty to be guardians of public safety. We take that role seriously because we choose it and no one does it with more dedication, commitment, or utmost professionalism than we do.

Thank you for being the finest frontline supervisors in the world, as well as for the privilege of serving as your President.

Fraternally,

Vincent J. Vallelong
President
Sergeants Benevolent Association

Dear Fellow Sergeant,

I am happy to announce that the 2021-2026 SBA Contract has been overwhelmingly approved by the membership. Votes were over 9 to 1 to approve the contract. The vote totals are as follows:

This is a historic win for our union—and it wouldn’t have happened without your unyielding solidarity and continued support.

We didn’t get here by luck. We got here because we stuck together and refused to back down. You showed up at rallies. You spoke out. You stood with us through every step of this fight. That’s how we forced the city to come to the table and end a decades-long pay disparity. This new contract fulfills our promise to ensure that all NYPD Sergeants presently in rank earn more than the officers they supervise, which has always been our top priority.

Effective December 10, 2024, every Sergeant presently in rank moves to top pay—no more waiting years to earn what you’ve already earned in the field. This deal also includes 18.77% in retroactive pay over five years, and we gave up next to nothing to get it. Just a minor adjustment to wash-up time. That’s it. No givebacks. No gimmicks. And long overdue.

As I’ve said before, you don’t get what you deserve in contract negotiations, you get what you negotiate. Bad contracts can be settled quickly; good contracts take time.

While all of us would have preferred to have had a deal in place a long time ago, the deal that was offered at that time did not reflect your daily sacrifices and essential service to our city. This new deal does.

What’s Next?

The City has been notified that the membership has approved the contract so that the City Office of Payroll Administration (OPA) can begin the process of incorporating the raises into the biweekly paycheck and to calculate each Sergeant’s retroactive payments. We expect this process to be completed within 90 days. We have requested that OPA provide sufficient notice to our members as to when retroactive payments are scheduled to be processed so that members can adjust their individual deferral and/or tax withholding amounts.

The following information is for members who retired after December 9, 2021. The City will make retroactive payment to those who retired before the new contract was ratified. All retroactive payments will be made by check. There will be no direct deposits. This check will be mailed to the address that the payroll section had on file the day you retired. There are over 1,050 retirees who will receive a retroactive payment. The process of mailing the checks will be done manually and will take several days to complete and depending on the US Mail service could take up to two weeks for you to receive your payment.

If you have moved since retiring, you must send a notarized letter via email requesting the retroactive payment, be sent to your new address. This letter should be addressed to the Director of the Payroll Section, One Police Plaza, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10038 or emailed to Lillian.tapia@nypd.org and it must include your full social security number, new address, your email and a phone number. Again, this letter must be notarized. Even if you have changed your address with the Pension Section and the union, you must still notify the Payroll Section. Failure to notify the payroll section of your new address could delay you receiving your check by several months. Once all retroactive payments have been made, the Pension Section will begin the process of finalizing retirees who retired after December 10, 2021.

If we sustain the same kind of unity and focus that was demonstrated over the past two years, we’ll keep delivering wins—not just for today’s Sergeants, but for our future Sergeants, who will ultimately shape the leadership of our department for generations to come.

I want to thank Mayor Adams and his team again, especially Deputy Mayor for Public Safety, Kaz Daughtry, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and everyone else who was involved in finally getting this deal across the finish line.

In Solidarity,

Vincent J. Vallelong
President
Sergeants Benevolent Association