Complaint #201709393,
November 9, 2017

Officer: Peroni, Christopher
Complainant: White Male, 54
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Threat of arrest
CCRB Conclusion: Exonerated
Officer: Peroni, Christopher
Complainant: White Male, 54
Allegation: Discourtesy: Word
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer Complainant Allegation CCRB Conclusion
Peroni, Christopher White Male, 54 Abuse of Authority: Threat of arrest Exonerated
Peroni, Christopher White Male, 54 Discourtesy: Word Unsubstantiated

Conclusion Meanings:

'Exonerated': or 'Within NYPD Guidelines' - The conduct occurred but did not violate the NYPD's own rules, which often give officers significant discretion.
'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 6:10 p.m. on November 9, 2017, [redacted] was walking home near [redacted] Manhattan when he unknowingly entered a hazard zone near a building at risk of collapse. PO Christopher Peroni of the 19th Precinct allegedly said "What are you, an idiot?" to [redacted] (Allegation A: Discourtesy, unsubstantiated). PO Peroni threatened to arrest [redacted] (Allegation B: Abuse of Authority, exonerated).
[redacted] testified that he was walking north on [redacted] when he came upon an area of sidewalk that was blocked off with yellow caution tape. The tape did not say "police" on it, and there was a gap in the tape large enough for a person to walk through, so [redacted] did not realize that the area was a hazard zone and walked past the tape. Several people followed [redacted] into the taped-off area. [redacted] quickly realized his mistake, so he approached PO Peroni and his partner, PO Christopher Durney from the 19th Precinct, who were standing roughly half a block past the tape, to ask them what was going on. PO Peroni allegedly said "What are you, an idiot?" to [redacted] This offended [redacted] because his son has autism and the word "idiot" has historically been used to demean people with autism. [redacted] asked PO Peroni where he should go as an alternative, and PO Peroni told him that he would "figure it out." [redacted] left the area immediately without ever being asked to leave the area. In total, he was beyond the caution tape for less than a minute. After crossing the street, he realized how upset PO Peroni's comment had made him, so he returned to the area without surpassing the caution tape, took a picture of PO Peroni's badge, and told him that he was going to report him to his friend, who happens to be a Lieutenant in the 23rd Precinct. PO Peroni allegedly said "Do you want to go up in handcuffs?" at which point [redacted] left the area without further incident [01 Board Review].
PO Peroni testified that he was securing the scene of a possible building collapse when he observed... Read report for details.


Details

Incident: November 9, 2017
Received: November 10, 2017
Closed: March 8, 2018

Reason for contact: Other
Location: Street/highway
In NYPD 19th Precinct Manhattan
Outcome: No arrest made or summons issued

Witness Officers: Christopher Durney