A few years ago a well dressed, well versed, Queens resident was being driven home from work in a company car and the trip was interrupted by the hue and flicker of red and white lights behind him.

The butterflies created by the anticipation of what might happen next did not escape
this man who, like most motorists, had experienced being pulled over before. What would actually happen to this driver could turn anyone else’s butterflies into pterodactyl.

Like in any huge city, membership is supposed to have its privileges. Generally speaking, when the person being driven is a city official, they are supposed to get something of a free pass. And if the offense is more serious, they are at the very least supposed to be treated with courtesy. But Rudy Washington wasn’t treated like the quiet, well dressed, hard working guy that I know. Something else happened, and he was reminded then about the complexity of race and politics in the city.

Mr. Washington, despite being a high-ranking member of the Giuliani administration, was treated with contempt by the white officer, who even threw his identification back at him.

Details of this and another incident were laid out in a new book this week by my colleague Andrew Kirtzman. Washington’s story though, isn’t new or isolated.

In fact it happens a lot.

But like the famed "Beat up" room cops used to have at the E train stations at 153rd street and Parsons Blvd. when I was a teenager, the stories are treated like the myths of Urban Legend. They are brushed off and dismissed as isolated incidents.

Higher ups in this administration didn’t give Mr. Washington satisfaction . . . they gave him a card. It basically was his "please, Mr. Police Officer, don’t harass me, because I know your boss card" or his "I’m sorry I’m causing you problems officer, but I know your boss" card.

I don’t think it is anything you or I could get, or something that any of Giuliani’s white staffers would need.

The officer should have been disciplined and the message sent "Do not harass people . . . period."

Most of the people on this police force are terrific human beings who are the vanguards for our safety.

The NYPD is the vanguard of our city’s safety. But what does this sight in the rear view mirror mean to you? PRESS Photo by Ira Cohen

But the old school thugs, their sons, daughters, nephews and nieces still infect the NYPD. Instead of treating them like a cancer and using the strongest methods for eradication, the higher ups are saying "take two of these and call me in the morning."

When the flickering lights move in behind me, generally my press pass and my face get me the best treatment. But it shouldn’t take that, or a card, or any number of clout signs for anyone else to avoid a conflict with an edgy cop.

Washington’s brush with this still unidentified officer happened well before the case of Abner Louima. I guess Louima forgot his card, in his other limo that night.

— Gary Anthony Ramsay is a weekend anchor and journalist on the all-news cable station NY1 and a long-time resident of Queens.