Bob Lucente, president of the New York state chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police made several choice remarks concerning Springsteen’s new song, “American Skin (41 Shots),” and judging from his comments, he probably won’t be at Madison Square Garden for any of 10 sold-out shows that will conclude the reunited E Street Band tour that opened in Spain in April of 1999.

During an interview with SonicNet, Lucente reportedly said, “”He’s turned into some type of f–ing dirtbag. He goes on the boycott list.”

Maybe Lucente didn’t feel he got his point across, because in the same interview he also said of Springsteen, “He has all these good songs and everything, American flag songs and all that stuff, and now he’s a floating fag. You can quote me on that.”

Sure thing, Bob.

On June 4, about midway through the band’s concert at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Springsteen stepped to the mic and said, “Here’s a new song called ‘American Skin… 41 Shots.'”

The song opens with Springsteen repeating the refrain “41 Shots,” over and over. Other lyrics include “Is it a gun? / Is it a knife? / Is it a wallet? / This is your life… You can get killed for just living in your American Skin.”

So, why is Lucente, along with New York City Policemen’s Benevolent Assocation president, Pat Lynch, calling for a boycott of the Springsteen shows at the Garden? Because the song alludes to one of the more controversial NYPD shootings to come down the pike in quite some time.

Late one night last year, plainclothes police were looking for a reported rapist. They found Amadou Diallo standing in the vestibule of his apartment building. The police, thinking that Diallo had reached for a gun, fired 41 shots with 19 hitting the target. Instead of a gun, Diallo was found to be holding his wallet. The police were tried for murder and acquitted.

In a letter to the New York City Patrolmen’s Benevolent Organization, the group’s president, Pat Lynch, urged officers not to moonlight as security or attend the shows at Madison Square Garden, saying “I consider it an outrage that [Springsteen] would be trying to fatten his wallet by reopening the wounds of this tragic case at a time when police officers and community members are in a healing period.”

Never mind that the song isn’t currently for sale, or that the Garden shows were sold out way before the song was made public.

And Bruce has plenty of company on that boycott list of Lucente’s: the Beastie Boys and Rage Against The Machine, for their outspoken support of Pennsylvania death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal; and Sting, for opposing the death penalty, have recently drawn the wrath of offended cops.

Then there’s the seemingly offended political pundits, some of whom have given this unrecorded, unreleased song a life of its own and found more sinister intent.

Slate “Chatterbox” writer Timothy Noah, in his June 8 online column, analyzes The Boss’ motives and comes up with this: “[Springsteen] hasn’t previously made explicit points about specific news events – even events as horrific as the Diallo killing – even in his most left-wing political songs. Why now? [Noah] guesses that Springsteen wanted to help Hillary Clinton’s Senate race.”

The last time a Springsteen tune whipped up this kind of debate was back in 1984, when then-President Ronald Reagan’s campaign staff thought it would be just hunky-dory to use “Born In The USA,” told from the view of a bitter Viet Nam veteran, as soundtrack music for The Gipper’s re-election run.

And now, as was the case then, many of the strongest opinions about some of Springsteen’s words come from people who admittedly haven’t heard them.