Complaint #201705363,
July 4, 2017

Officer: Polster, Bryan
Complainant: Male
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Seizure of property
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Polster, Bryan
Complainant: Hispanic Male, 32
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Vehicle search
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Lawhorne, Kiesha
Complainant: Hispanic Male, 20
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Threat to damage/seize property
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Lawhorne, Kiesha
Complainant: Hispanic Male, 32
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Vehicle search
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Lawhorne, Kiesha
Complainant: Hispanic Male, 20
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Seizure of property
CCRB Conclusion: Substantiated (Command Lvl Instructions)
Officer: Polster, Bryan
Complainant: Hispanic Male, 20
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Seizure of property
CCRB Conclusion: Substantiated (Command Lvl Instructions)
Officer Complainant Allegation CCRB Conclusion
Polster, Bryan Male Abuse of Authority: Seizure of property Unsubstantiated
Polster, Bryan Hispanic Male, 32 Abuse of Authority: Vehicle search Unsubstantiated
Lawhorne, Kiesha Hispanic Male, 20 Abuse of Authority: Threat to damage/seize property Unsubstantiated
Lawhorne, Kiesha Hispanic Male, 32 Abuse of Authority: Vehicle search Unsubstantiated
Lawhorne, Kiesha Hispanic Male, 20 Abuse of Authority: Seizure of property Substantiated (Command Lvl Instructions)
Polster, Bryan Hispanic Male, 20 Abuse of Authority: Seizure of property Substantiated (Command Lvl Instructions)

Conclusion Meanings:

'Substantiated': The misconduct occurred and it violated the rules. The NYPD has discretion over what, if any, discipline is imposed.
'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.


Penalties

Lawhorne, Kiesha
Instructions

Polster, Bryan
Instructions

Summary

On July 4, 2017, at approximately 10:14 p.m., [redacted] was in a parking lot within Fort Tryon Park in Manhattan with his cousins, [redacted] and [redacted] girlfriend, [redacted] sat inside the open trunk of a vehicle that [redacted] had borrowed from his cousin, [redacted] (who was not present), and [redacted] sat nearby on a rock ledge. Music was emanating from the vehicle. Shortly after their arrival, PO Bryan Polster and PO Kiesha Lawhorne of the 34th Precinct approached.
PO Polster and PO Lawhorne immediately asked [redacted] if they had marijuana and alcohol. [redacted] said no. PO Lawhorne ordered [redacted] to produce his identification and he complied. PO Lawhorne and PO Polster then abruptly left the location to assist other officers with a nearby vehicle stop.
Upon their return 10 minutes later, [redacted] began recording the incident on his cell phone. PO Polster ordered [redacted] to produce his identification twice before [redacted] complied. PO Polster told [redacted] he was being issued a summons for drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, and being inside the park after its closure. PO Lawhorne allegedly told [redacted] that his speaker would be seized if he did not "give up" the marijuana (Allegation A). PO Polster and PO Lawhorne allegedly reached into the trunk of the vehicle and attempted to disconnect a speaker (Allegation B, Allegation C), but were unable to do so. PO Lawhorne and PO Polster seized another speaker located in the backseat of the vehicle, which belonged to [redacted] (Allegation D, Allegation E), as well as an identification card belonging to [redacted] (Allegation F). The identification card was found on the front passenger's side floor of the vehicle.
PO Polster issued [redacted] a summons for [redacted] (Board Review 01), PO Lawhorne issued [redacted] a summons for [redacted] (Board Review 02), and the officers left the location.
[redacted] provided the CCRB with the video footage from his cell phone, which captures PO Polster requesting his identification and... Read report for details.


Details

Incident: July 4, 2017
Received: July 5, 2017
Closed: November 22, 2017

Reason for contact: PD suspected C/V of violation/crime - street
Location: Park
In NYPD 34th Precinct Manhattan
Outcome: Summons - other violation/crime

Video evidence collected