Complaint #201700650,
January 24, 2017

Summary

On January 24, 2017, at approximately 2:15 p.m., PO Ronald Remo and PO Steven Mercedes, both of Public Service Area 1, went to [redacted] in Brooklyn in search of [redacted], a suspect in a domestic violence case PO Remo was investigating. When they arrived, they saw [redacted] and asked him where they might find [redacted]. [redacted] told them that he did not know, called [redacted] from his own cell phone, and allowed PO Remo to speak with [redacted]. [redacted] told PO Remo that he was not in the building and that he would not be there for a number of hours. After PO Remo and [redacted] spoke over the phone, the officers left. While out of [redacted]'s presence, PO Remo called [redacted]'s supervisor, [redacted] who did not work inside the building. [redacted] told PO Remo that [redacted] was scheduled to be working at the time, and PO Remo believed her. The officers then walked back to [redacted] and accused him of preventing them from arresting [redacted] (Allegations A and B). PO Remo told [redacted] to tell [redacted] via text message, that the officers had left, thinking this would lure [redacted] into their custody. When [redacted] refused to comply with this directive, the officers accused him of "hindering prosecution" and placed him under arrest (Allegations C and D). After the officers arrested [redacted], PO Remo frisked and searched him (Allegations E and F). PO Remo then seized [redacted]'s phone and sent the text message he had told [redacted] to send moments earlier (Allegations G and H). The officers then waited in the lobby with [redacted] hoping for [redacted] to appear. Meanwhile, [redacted] and the officers began to argue and PO Mercedes told [redacted] to "shut the fuck up" (Allegation I). After a few minutes, [redacted] entered the lobby and was arrested. [redacted] was then released without being summonsed or kept under arrest. Read report for details.