It was made clear once again that racial issues are a problem in the New York’s Police Department, after a recent incident in which a white police officer had to be disciplined for confronting a black New York police official in a “discourteous manner.”

Chief Douglas Zeigler, the head of the NYPD's Community Affairs Bureau and the highest uniformed black officer on the force, was off duty, sitting in his vehicle on a Queens street on May 2, when two white officers approached.

The details of the story are not yet completely clear, but a department spokesman said the two officers dealt with the chief in an inappropriate manner, with Officer Michael Granahan trying to wrest open Zeigler’s door, even after the chief identified himself.

“He dealt with the chief in a discourteous manner, which is unacceptable,” police spokesman Paul Browne said, as quoted by the Associated Press.

The New York Daily News reported that Granahan has been stripped of his gun and badge, and placed on modified duty.

Granahan’s father defended his son, telling the Daily News that Zeigler was guilty for the incident, as his car was parked at a hydrant in Corona, Queens, with the SUV’s windows up and the engine off. Apparently, the father claims, Granahan’s partner saw the driver fumble at his waistband and thought he had a gun, so he warned Granahan. That is when the Granahan grabbed the door handle.

The incident came as police are being criticized for stopping record numbers of pedestrians, nearly 145,000 in the first quarter of this year, out of which most were black or Hispanic.

"Something is wrong with our Police Department and their interactions with people of color," said State Sen. Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn), a former police captain.