Complaint #200301245,
February 15, 2003

Officer: Kopinski, Keith
Complainant: White Female, 39
Allegation: Force: Physical force
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Kopinski, Keith
Complainant: White Female, 39
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Refusal to provide name/shield number
CCRB Conclusion: Unfounded
Officer Complainant Allegation CCRB Conclusion
Kopinski, Keith White Female, 39 Force: Physical force Unsubstantiated
Kopinski, Keith White Female, 39 Abuse of Authority: Refusal to provide name/shield number Unfounded

Conclusion Meanings:

'Unfounded': Evidence suggests that the event or alleged conduct did not occur.
'Unsubstantiated': or 'Unable to Determine' - The alleged conduct was investigated but could not determine both that the conduct occurred and that it broke the rules.

Further details on conclusions.


Summary

At approximately 2:00 PM, [redacted] was a part of a group "penned in" at 51st Street. Officers had placed physical barriers to the group's east. To the north were both mounted officers, and officers on foot. Officers on foot were standing in a line to the group's south. Mounted officers were standing to the west of the group in a "bow-shaped" formation. The mounted officers began moving towards the group, essentially pushing the group east. Members of the group were unable to freely travel eastward (on 51st Street) because there were wooden/metal barriers impeding their movement. [redacted] recalled that as the crowd became more compacted, no instructions were issued to the group.
After approximately twenty minutes, "the top part of [redacted]'s body "began to get pushed backwards" such that she was unable to move her feet because her body was positioned at a severe angle. As the group continued to compact, [redacted] found herself "pushed against the front hood" of a police vehicle parked on north corner of 51st Street, facing west. She explained, "the top part of my body was pushed against the car, while my legs were sort of tangled in the crowd." After having "withdrawn" her legs from the crowd, [redacted] brought her shoe up to the car's bumper so that she could tie it; she was "half-sitting on the front hood of the parked [RMP]."
While fixing her shoe, [redacted] "felt [her]self pulled backward" from her "shoulder-area," and the collar of the hood of her jacket. She was "jerked – suddenly and violently – over the hood" towards the passenger side of the vehicle; she acknowledged that at some point she was "lying across the hood of the car." She was given no verbal command to get off, or move across the hood of the car. Because she was being pulled from behind, [redacted] stated that "at first" she was unable to see who was pulling her. After she was dragged across the hood, [redacted] was pulled further toward the ground such that her head was moving to hit the curb while her legs were (up) in the air.... Read report for details.


Details

Incident: February 15, 2003
Received: February 17, 2003
Closed: December 10, 2003

Reason for contact: Demonstration/protest
Location: Street/highway
In NYPD 17th Precinct Manhattan
Outcome: No arrest made or summons issued