#De Blasio says police unions ‘want to sow division’ over Shake Shack incident

Mayor de Blasio blasted the city’s police unions as anti-social fear-mongers on Tuesday and said the city will consider putting a limit on their free speech rights the morning after at least two of them erroneously claimed that cops were intentionally poisoned at a Manhattan Shake Shack.

“I would think the unions would trust the NYPD to find the truth,” de Blasio said, after NYPD Chief Rodney Harrison tweeted there was no criminality. “And I thank chief Harrison for so rapidly getting the truth out. But the unions, these union leaders don’t want the truth they just want to sow division and we have to figure out what the limits are on their right to do that.”

The Police Benevolent Association and Detectives’ Endowment Association tweeted that three cops were intentionally poisoned at the eatery at 200 Broadway on Monday night.

PBA President Patrick Lynch even publicized a trip to the hospital where the officers were being treated.

“At Bellevue Hospital, checking in on the police officers whose drinks were apparently poisoned at a lower Manhattan Shake Shack tonight,” a post on the PBA’s twitter feed said. “Also stopping by the scene to update the media.”

But Harrison tweeted in the early Tuesday morning that an investigation found no crime had been committed and that the officers were not intentionally poisoned.

“After a thorough investigation by the NYPD’s Manhattan South investigators, it has been determined that there was no criminality by shake shack’s employees,” his tweet read.

The unions both later tweeted that an NYPD investigation found no criminality, but the mayor the unions’ comments may  go beyond their free speech rights.

“These police union leaders, not all of them, but too many of them stand in the way of progress,” de Blasio said. “… I think it’s time for a full review of when their actions reach beyond freedom of speech, or the right to represent one’s members which are absolutely appropriate activities and do things that are counterproductive to the safety of New Yorkers.”

The mayor also took direct aim at controversial Sergeants Benevolent Association President Ed Mullins after he was asked about the union head’s retweeting of a Jeff Sessions’ comment in favor of preserving confederate monuments.

“The SBA leadership has engaged in racist activity so many times I can’t even count it,” the mayor said. “Anyone who is tweeting in favor of confederate monuments is supporting the structural racist history of this country.”

Mullins, who was accused of sending his members a racist video last year, didn’t return a call seeking comment.

NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau is probing Mullins for tweeting a declaration of “war” against the mayor.

Shake Shack on Tuesday morning said it was “relieved to hear the officers are all okay” and “working hard to get the full picture.”