Two rookie NYPD officers, sworn to protect and serve, allegedly turned off their body cameras, broke into an illegal brothel, and proceeded to rob and grope a sex worker—making you wonder who’s watching the watchmen in the increasingly lawless streets of New York City.
At a Glance
- NYPD probationary officers Justin McMillan and Justin Colon face charges of burglary, forcible touching, petit larceny, and official misconduct after allegedly groping and robbing a sex worker
- The officers turned off their body cameras, used a key to enter a known brothel, and failed to document the encounter as required by department protocol
- This incident occurs amid a broader context of rising street prostitution in NYC, particularly in Queens, following “progressive” policy changes that have hampered enforcement efforts
- Both officers have been suspended without pay and were already on modified duty since August 2023 during the investigation
- The case highlights the tension between maintaining law enforcement integrity while operating in an environment where leftist policies have complicated policing of sex work
When Police Become the Perpetrators
The allegations against NYPD officers Justin McMillan and Justin Colon read like something from a corrupt cop movie, not the reality you’d expect in America’s largest police force. According to prosecutors, these probationary officers—still wet behind the ears after entering the academy in 2023—responded to a complaint about prostitution at a location colorfully dubbed the “Market of Sweethearts.” Rather than enforce the law, they allegedly decided to take advantage of the situation in the most despicable way possible. After confiscating a key from a woman leaving the building, they returned eight hours later without their body cameras recording.
What happened next is truly appalling. Upon finding a woman engaged in sex with a client, McMillan allegedly helped himself to cash from her purse and then groped her. When the terrified woman managed to escape and find help to call 911, these officers simply returned to their station house without filing any report of the incident. The officers have pleaded not guilty, but the charges are serious: forcible touching, petit larceny, burglary and official misconduct. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz didn’t mince words about the gravity of the situation.
“The allegations in this case are an affront to the shield worn by the countless police officers who serve and protect the residents of this city”, says Queens District Attorney, Melinda Katz.
Liberal Policies Creating Vice Districts
This incident didn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s the predictable result of the radical left’s approach to policing and prostitution in New York City. Roosevelt Avenue in Queens has transformed into an open-air sex market where women brazenly offer their services on the street. The “Penn Track” in East New York has devolved into a seedy red-light district with nearly naked women and violent pimps operating with impunity. This isn’t the New York of the early 1990s—it’s worse, because we know better but are choosing to ignore hard-learned lessons.
Just three decades ago, “broken windows” policing significantly reduced visible prostitution in the city. Today’s resurgence can be directly traced to a series of so-called “reforms” championed by the progressive left, including the repeal of the “walking while trans” law in 2021. Socialist State Senator Julia Salazar has been clear about her agenda, stating without apology that complete decriminalization is the ultimate goal. Meanwhile, her colleague Jessica Ramos equates anti-prostitution measures with “terrible policing policies” like stop-and-frisk.
“I think that the goal should be decriminalization”, says the Socialist state Sen. Julia Salazar.
The Impossible Position for Police
The NYPD now finds itself in an untenable position of its own liberal politicians’ making. Officers are expected to police vice crimes while handcuffed by policies that practically decriminalize the very activities they’re supposed to prevent. Add to this the influx of migrants, many of whom have entered the sex trade either as workers or exploiters, and you have a perfect storm. The result? A dramatic resurgence of street prostitution that makes the 1980s look tame by comparison, and creates environments where even some officers apparently feel emboldened to commit crimes.
According to Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch: “We hold our officers to the highest standard of professionalism and integrity, and failing to meet that standard is disqualifying. Let me be perfectly clear: Any officer who violates their oath will be investigated, exposed, and held fully accountable. That standard will never change.”
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch’s tough talk about accountability sounds great, but it rings hollow when the system is designed to fail. How can we expect officers to uphold the highest standards when the policies they’re working under effectively legitimize criminality? Mayor Eric Adams and Commissioner Tisch are trying to refocus on quality-of-life issues, but they’re swimming against a powerful progressive current that views any enforcement as oppression and any standard as discrimination.
The alleged actions of McMillan and Colon are indefensible, but they’re also a symptom of a deeply dysfunctional system created by leftist ideologues who seem determined to return New York to its bad old days.
