{"active":false,"first_name":"Joseph","last_name":"Townsend","race":"White","gender":"Male","rank":"DT3","command":{"command":"DB CEIS","id":"94"},"shield_no":5433,"ended_date":"2020-08-05","taxid":"918418","complaint_ids":[201303650,201113331,201013922,200901718,200611499,200101568],"command_history":[{"command":"GANG BX"},{"command":"NARCBMN","id":"250"}],"appt_date":"1996-07-18","lawsuits":[{"name":"Rivera, Angel vs City of New York, et al.","start_date":"2019-09-17","disposition_date":"2020-11-09","payout_amount":32501,"disposition":"Settlement","docket":"19CV06391","court":"U.S. District Court - Southern District NY","officer_name":"Townsend, Joseph S.","summary":"On April 11, 2018, early in the morning around 4:00a.m., Plaintiff and his family were sleeping in their home at 3182 Rochambeau Ave., #4L, Bronx, NY. Between twenty and thirty plainclothes NYPD members surprised Plaintiff by ringing his doorbell  and entered his home. One man had markings which indicated he could have been working for or with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Plaintiff was place into handcuffs immediately upon officers entering his apartment. One individual pointed a gun at Plaintiff while other officers began asking for the location of drugs. Plaintiff was taken out to the hallway of his building in only his underwear for around 20 minutes while the members of the NYPD searched and ransacked his home. He was then being back into his apartment. Plaintiff was illegally strip searched and had his genitals exposed. \n\nThe NYPD found no evidence of drugs in Plaintiff's apartment, and he was never informed of his Miranda rights. Eventually, he was permitted to put on clothes and was taken to an NYPD precinct, and per Plaintiff's request brought his asthma pump. During the ride to the precinct, an NYPD officer said, in effect, that the Plaintiff should start praying because he was \"fucked.\" During this time he was refused his request for his Asthma pump. While at Precinct, Plaintiff repeatedly asked for his asthma pump and was denied. Plaintiff was also denied access to a bathroom for some time. After around twenty four hours Plaintiff was released without charges and without seeing a judge. Plaintiff had to walk home to the Bronx since he had no phone or wallet. When the amended complaint was filed plaintiff's phone had still yet to be returned. The warrant which authorized the search of Plaintiff's home and a person in that home named Angelo Rivera—the plaintiff's name is Angelo. Plaintiff later received a letter that there had been 11 eavesdropping warrants had been issued since June 1, 2017. Plaintiff was never given explanation or justification for any of the actions—including and especially violent ones— members of the NYPD took thought the entire course of events.","documents":[{"url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.518961/gov.uscourts.nysd.518961.47.0.pdf","type":"complaint"}],"url":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/15900082/rivera-v-city-of-new-york/"},{"name":"Richardson, Robert vs City of New York, et al.","start_date":"2016-03-21","disposition_date":"2020-10-15","payout_amount":0,"disposition":"Administrative Closing","docket":"162151/2015","court":"Supreme Court - New York","officer_name":"Townsend, Joseph S.","summary":"On November 29, 2012, at approximately 6:00 p.m., ROBERT RICHARDSON (“plaintiff”) was lawfully standing in the vicinity of Hamilton Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue, waiting for his girlfriend to come out of her apartment when police officers unlawfully approached, stopped, seized, and searched plaintiff, without reasonable suspicion, probable cause, or any legal justification. Nevertheless, the defendant's police officers unlawfully handcuffed the plaintiff and arrested him without legal justification or probable cause. The police officer believe the plaintiff possessed any illegal drugs, weapons, or contraband underneath his clothing.\n\nThe defendant police officers forcibly transported the plaintiff, against his will, to the 30th precinct stationhouse, where the plaintiff was subjected to an unlawful strip search by the defendant police officers without reasonable suspicion or probable cause to believe the plaintiff had any illegal contraband hidden underneath his clothing. The plaintiff was forced to remove all his clothes and shake each piece of clothing out. The plaintiff was then forced to endure the indignity of turning around so that the back faced the police officers, bent over, and spread his buttocks to prove there was no illegal contraband in his person. The plaintiff was then ordered to face the defendant's police officers and was forced to lift his genitals. At no time did the defendant police officers recover any drugs, contraband, or other illegal paraphernalia from the plaintiff or his custody, possession, or control.\n\nAfter he was unlawfully strip-searched, the defendant police officers transported the plaintiff to the 25th Precinct stationhouse, where he was introduced to an individual named Michael Brown, who had been arrested for drug possession. Michael Brown told the defendant's police officers that he did not know the plaintiff and had never met him. Still, without any factual basis, the officers accused the plaintiff of selling drugs to Michael Brown, an individual that plaintiff had never seen or met in his life.\n\nThe police officers falsely informed the New York County District Attorney’s Office that the plaintiff had committed a crime despite knowing they lacked a legal and factual basis to link the plaintiff to a crime. The defendant officers had no basis to stop the plaintiff or to allege that the plaintiff committed a crime. \n\nOn November 30, 2012, at approximately 1:00 a.m., the defendant police officers transported the plaintiff from the 25th Precinct to Manhattan Central Booking, where he was unlawfully detained in filthy and crowded holding cells for many hours, with individuals accused of committing serious violent crimes. \n\nOn December 1, 2012 at approximately 11:00 a.m., plaintiff was arraigned in New York County Criminal Court, and the defendant officers falsely charged plaintiff with commiting several crimes the defendant officers lacked probable cause to allege he committed. At the arraignment, the plaintiff was remanded into the custody of the New York City Department of Correction and sent to Riker’s Island. Thereafter, the plaintiff was unlawfully detained on Riker’s Island for approximately 13 months and was forced to appear in Court on numerous occasions. On December 11, 2013, all charges against the plaintiff were terminated in his favor and were dismissed.\n\nThe plaintiff was the victim of a policy, practice, or custom within the New York City Police Department, wherein New York City Police Officers illegally strip search individuals without a specific, articulable factual basis supporting a reasonable suspicion or probable cause to believe the individual secreted contraband, evidence, or has a weapon inside a body cavity.\n\nThe individual defendants were acting under the color of state law in the course and scope of their duties and functions as officers of the New York City Police Department,","documents":[{"url":"https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=MbLqUf9lmKT6WesGsMciVA==","type":"complaint"}]},{"name":"Evans, Angele vs City of New York, et al.","start_date":"2015-08-04","disposition_date":"2015-09-29","payout_amount":15000,"disposition":"Settlement","docket":"157864/2015","court":"Supreme Court - New York","officer_name":"Townsend, Joseph S.","summary":"On October 3, 2014, Plaintiff took a photo of and then began videotaping an arrest. One of Defendant Police Officers Joseph Townsend, John Doe #1, and John Does #2-4 threw her phone on the ground, arrested her, and erased the video. Then Plaintiff was incarcerated for over 13 hours. Plaintiff suffered severe emotional distress.","documents":[{"url":"https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=CYEnmub9RnmbhHBvcsq7KA==","type":"complaint"}]},{"name":"Perry, Bobby vs City of New York, et al.","start_date":"2015-04-14","disposition_date":"2015-09-22","payout_amount":15000,"disposition":"Settlement","docket":"15CV02833","court":"U.S. District Court - Southern District NY","officer_name":"Townsend, Joseph S.","summary":"Narcotics detectives executed a search warrant where Plaintiff subletted a room due to an informant alleging that Plaintiff's roommates had cocaine. Although nothing was in Plaintiff's room, he was charged with 220.50(2)Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree, 220.03 Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree, and a 221.05 Unlawful Possession of Marijuana, which were later dismissed on 30.30.  Officers also stole $75.00 from Plaintiff's wallet","documents":[{"url":"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4920683-Perry-v-City-of-New-York-et-al","type":"complaint"}],"url":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/13146295/perry-v-city-of-new-york/"},{"name":"Degaillard, Agnes vs City of New York, et al.","start_date":"2014-05-13","disposition_date":"2014-08-07","payout_amount":20000,"disposition":"Settlement","docket":"154591/2014","court":"Supreme Court - New York","officer_name":"Townsend, Joseph S.","summary":"On November 21, 2013 at approximately 5:30 a.m. Plaintiff was inside an apartment when unnamed POs forcefully broke into the apartment and dragged Plaintiff into a bedroom while demanding she produce identification. Plaintiff produced identification but was handcuffed regardless. Plaintiff begged POs to let her put on clothes but Plaintiff was ignored and instead forced to sit in a motor vehicle for approximately one hour while POs remained in the premises, intentionally damaging and breaking items that belonged to Plaintiff. Thereafter Plaintiff was illegally taken to a police precinct then Central Booking. At no time was Plaintiff given or read her Miranda Rights. Plaintiff was maliciously prosecuted and all charges against Plaintiff were ultimately dismissed on November 21, 2013.","documents":[{"url":"https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=AWh1/O/Yb3rh5W1MzkNvsA==","type":"complaint"}]},{"name":"Rivera, Ismael vs City of New York, et al.","start_date":"2013-10-01","disposition_date":"2014-03-23","payout_amount":37500,"disposition":"Settlement","docket":"158828/2013","court":"Supreme Court - New York","officer_name":"Townsend, Joseph S.","summary":"On October 12, 2012, the Plaintiff was on the street doing nothing illegal, improper, or acting suspicious in any way, when he was approached by Defendant NYPD officers Townsend and Cummings, as well as several other unknown Defendant NYPD officers. The Defendants, without any legal cause or justification, approached Plaintiff and stopped, frisked, grabbed, battered, and detained him in an aggressive and excessive manner. Plaintiff was taken into custody, where he was subjected to a strip search. Plaintiff was arraigned after his arrest and falsely and maliciously prosecuted. All charges against Plaintiff were eventually dismissed.","documents":[{"url":"https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=Ur5RJOdJe1B6bDJM51UsUQ==","type":"complaint"}]},{"officer_name":"Townsend, Joseph S.","disposition":"Settlement","start_date":"2012-03-27","disposition_date":"2013-02-22","court":"U.S. District Court - Southern District NY","docket":"12CV02205","name":"Smith, Kamoe vs City of New York, et al.","payout_amount":27500,"url":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/12960733/smith-v-the-city-of-new-york/"},{"officer_name":"Townsend, Joseph S.","disposition":"Settlement","start_date":"2009-11-05","disposition_date":"2018-06-15","court":"Supreme Court - Bronx","docket":"302092/2008","name":"Eaddy, Rickey and Brown, Nathan vs City of New York","payout_amount":17500},{"officer_name":"Townsend, Joseph S.","disposition":"Administrative Closing","start_date":"2008-12-23","disposition_date":"2013-04-12","court":"Supreme Court - New York","docket":"116224/2008","name":"Lee, George vs City of New York, et al.","payout_amount":0},{"name":"Mallard v. Townsend et al","court":"U.S. District Court - Southern District NY","disposition":"Dismissed with Prejudice","documents":[{"url":"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4919950-Mallard-v-Townsend-et-al"}],"docket":"13CV06035","officer_name":"Joseph S. Townsend"},{"name":"Mullins v. The City of New York et al","court":"U.S. District Court - Southern District NY","payout_amount":35000,"disposition":"Settlement","documents":[{"url":"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4923558-Mullins-v-The-City-of-New-York-et-al"},{"url":"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4923559-Mullins-v-The-City-of-New-York-et-al"}],"docket":"09CV08488","officer_name":"Joseph S. Townsend"}],"documents":[{"url":"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24441170-bronx-notified-officers-list-edited_redacted-redacted_redacted","type":"credibility-finding"}],"id":"SVR5","url":"https://www.50-a.org/officer/SVR5"}