by Lawrence J. Finnegan Jr.

About the author: Lawrence J. Finnegan Jr. is a judge for the New York Supreme Court and teaches ethics in criminal justice at St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York.

Two hundred years ago, Donatien Alphonse Francois was writing books and philosophical treatises, many of which focused on deviant sexual misconduct.

The infliction of enormous pain related to sexual activity was core to his sick beliefs. He is known as the Marquis de Sade, and the legacy of his thinking has left its mark on a few very sick individuals here in New York. Because of that sick thinking, a tough job has just gotten a lot tougher.

The police officers from New York City’s 70th Precinct who allegedly committed a sadistic act of...