Complaint #201501365,
October 10, 2014

Summary

Detective Dimitrakakis, a narcotics detective, had purchased narcotics while undercover in the first-floor unit of a private house. The house had been divided into apartments; the owner lived in the garden-level apartment, and there were multiple units above.
Detective Dimitrakakis obtained a search warrant for the entire house, claiming that he had made multiple drug purchases in multiple rooms when, in fact, he had only purchased drugs in one unit. The owner of the building, when learning that his home had been searched, filed a CCRB complaint.
During his CCRB interview, Detective Dimitrakakis again stated that he had made purchases in multiple rooms and that it was, therefore, appropriate that the warrant be issued for the entire building.
The CCRB substantiated allegations that Detective Dimitrakakis had searched the building without authorization and found that he made a false official statement when he claimed to have purchased drugs at various locations in the building instead of in just one unit.
The NYPD tried Detective Dimitrakakis in the Administrative Prosecution Unit and compelled him to forfeit 8 vacation days. In news coverage, it was suggested that his case was one of two that the Internal Affairs Bureau confirmed involved a false statement, but there is no record that he was disciplined for the false statement. He left the NYPD in 2019, four years after this incident. Read report for details.