Complaint #201805768,
July 11, 2018

Officer: Zozzaro, James
Complainant: Black Male, 42
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Vehicle stop
CCRB Conclusion: Exonerated
Officer: Zozzaro, James
Complainant: Black Male, 42
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Search (of person)
CCRB Conclusion: Exonerated
Officer: Zozzaro, James
Complainant: Black Male, 42
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Other
CCRB Conclusion: Exonerated
Officer: Zozzaro, James
Complainant: Black Male, 42
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Seizure of property
CCRB Conclusion: Exonerated
Officer: Zozzaro, James
Complainant: Black Male, 42
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Refusal to show search warrant
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Zozzaro, James
Complainant: Black Male, 42
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Vehicle search
CCRB Conclusion: Exonerated
Officer: Zozzaro, James
Complainant: Black Male, 42
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Frisk
CCRB Conclusion: Exonerated
Officer Complainant Allegation CCRB Conclusion
Zozzaro, James Black Male, 42 Abuse of Authority: Vehicle stop Exonerated
Zozzaro, James Black Male, 42 Abuse of Authority: Search (of person) Exonerated
Zozzaro, James Black Male, 42 Abuse of Authority: Other Exonerated
Zozzaro, James Black Male, 42 Abuse of Authority: Seizure of property Exonerated
Zozzaro, James Black Male, 42 Abuse of Authority: Refusal to show search warrant Unsubstantiated
Zozzaro, James Black Male, 42 Abuse of Authority: Vehicle search Exonerated
Zozzaro, James Black Male, 42 Abuse of Authority: Frisk Exonerated

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 11:05 a.m. on July 11, 2018, [redacted]s vehicle was stopped on West 103rd Street and West End Avenue by three unmarked police vehicles (Allegation A: Abuse of Authority - Vehicle Stop, [redacted]). An officer, Detective James Zozzaro from the 113th Precinct Detective Squad, approached [redacted]s vehicle, and he was accompanied by three other officers, Detective Francisco Adames from the 113th Precinct Detective Squad, and Detective David Pulice and Detective Anthony Faranda from the Detective Borough Queens South Unit. At the time, the officers had a search warrant for [redacted]s vehicle (Board Review 01).
[redacted] exited his vehicle and Detective Zozzaro handcuffed him. Detective Zozzaro allegedly frisked [redacted] (Allegation B: Abuse of Authority - Frisk, [redacted]). Detective Zozzaro allegedly entered his hands into [redacted]s pockets and removed his wallet (Allegation C: Abuse of Authority – Search of Person, [redacted]). The officers allegedly removed [redacted]s keys from the ignition of his vehicle and they searched for his cellphone (Allegation D: Abuse of Authority – Vehicle Search, [redacted]). The officers placed [redacted] in Detective Zozzaro's police vehicle and he was escorted to the 24th Precinct Stationhouse in Manhattan. The officers took possession of [redacted]s vehicle (Allegation E: Abuse of Authority – Seizure of Property, [redacted]).
At the stationhouse, [redacted] was placed in an interrogation room. [redacted] requested to speak with an attorney and the interview concluded immediately. The officers released [redacted] and voided his arrest regarding the VTL violation (Board Review 02) (Allegation F: Abuse of Authority – Detainment, [redacted]). Before he left the stationhouse, [redacted] allegedly asked Detective Zozzaro, "Where's the search warrant?" Detective Zozzaro allegedly replied, "We don't have to give it to you" (Allegation G: Abuse of Authority – Refusal to Show Search Warrant, [redacted]). Read report for details.


Details

Incident: July 11, 2018
Received: July 16, 2018
Closed: May 2, 2019

Reason for contact: Other
Location: Street/highway
In NYPD 24th Precinct Manhattan
Outcome: No arrest made or summons issued

Witness Officers: Francisco Adames, Barry Brown, Anthony Faranda, David Pulice, Vincent Santangelo