On a hot summer day in August 2021, as hospitals across New York were still struggling to contain the Delta variant of COVID-19, a uniformed officer stormed through the security checkpoint at North Shore University Hospital. Ignoring posted signs and nurse warnings, he charged into a restricted ventilator unit—a space reserved for high-risk COVID patients—without a mask.
When hospital staff tried to intervene, the officer shrugged off their pleas.
“I don’t care,” he said.
That officer was Lane Schlesinger, a now-retired member of the New Rochelle Police Department. This single moment, already shocking in its recklessness, would become emblematic of a much deeper pattern: lawless behavior, institutional protection, and systemic misconduct.
Yet despite security reports, witness statements, and a 911 call triggered by his outburst, no criminal or disciplinary action was ever taken. Not by his department. Not by the District Attorney. Not by the Attorney General.
An Officer Above the Law
North Shore security and medical staff immediately documented Schlesinger’s breach. The ICU unit was operating under strict pandemic protocols—no exceptions, especially not for unmasked visitors.
But Schlesinger ignored all of it. As one nurse later described, “He pushed right past me. I told him this was a restricted area, and he just said, ‘I don’t care. I’m going to see my mom.’”
Security filed an incident report. A 911 call was made. Hospital officials contacted law enforcement.
But instead of being arrested or suspended, Schlesinger returned to duty—and remained there for another year and a half.
Internal Affairs Knew—and Did Nothing
According to FOIL-obtained records from the New Rochelle Police Department, this incident was one of at least five misconduct referrals made to the New York State Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigative Office (LEIMIO) starting in 2021.
Emails show Lt. Robert Wenzler of NRPD submitted multiple official referrals for Schlesinger’s behavior, including the hospital incident, to LEIMIO. This should have triggered a formal review under Executive Law § 75.
But when the AG’s office finally issued its long-awaited report on May 24, 2024, the hospital incident was missing from the findings entirely.
Two known referrals from 2023 were also left out—raising serious concerns that the AG’s report was deliberately sanitized.
A Pattern of Defiance
The COVID incident wasn’t isolated. Schlesinger had already developed a reputation inside the department:
- He refused to wear a mask inside government buildings.
- He disregarded orders from superiors, including one to activate his body camera during traffic stops.
- He repeatedly disrespected civilians and internal staff alike.
In an October 2022 internal memo, officers were warned that Schlesinger could no longer perform any public-facing duties or testify in court due to concerns about his credibility and conduct.
Still, he was allowed to remain on the force—and retire with full pension benefits in 2024.
Equal Protection—But Not for All
Meanwhile, Marc Fishman, a disabled father falsely arrested by Schlesinger in 2018, continues to fight for the truth to be acknowledged. The same department that knew Schlesinger lied—about bodycam footage, about Marc’s court-appointed supervisor, about probable cause—still stands behind the conviction they helped manufacture.
And the same state attorney general’s office that failed to include the COVID incident in their misconduct report now insists they’ve “investigated thoroughly.”
What This Case Reveals
The hospital incident reveals something far deeper than a COVID-era mask dispute. It shows:
- A police officer who felt untouchable, even in a high-risk medical environment
- A department that protected him, despite clear internal red flags
- An AG’s office that whitewashed critical misconduct, even when lives were at risk
- A justice system that prosecutes innocent parents but excuses dangerous officers
Final Word
If a disabled father violated a hospital’s COVID policy, he’d be arrested on the spot. If a Black or brown man pushed past nurses shouting “I don’t care,” the response wouldn’t be silence—it would be handcuffs.
But Lane Schlesinger?
He got a pension.
He got protection.
He got away with it.
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