Complaint #9803317,
July 24, 1998

Officer: Schiff, Jeffrey
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Other - Abuse
CCRB Conclusion: Unfounded
Officer: Beck, John
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Other - Abuse
CCRB Conclusion: Unfounded
Officer: Schiff, Jeffrey
Allegation: Discourtesy: Nasty Words
CCRB Conclusion: Unfounded
Officer Allegation CCRB Conclusion
Schiff, Jeffrey Abuse of Authority: Other - Abuse Unfounded
Beck, John Abuse of Authority: Other - Abuse Unfounded
Schiff, Jeffrey Discourtesy: Nasty Words Unfounded

Conclusion Meanings:

'Unfounded': Evidence suggests that the event or alleged conduct did not occur.

Further details on conclusions.


Summary

In his CCRB interview, [redacted] stated that on July 24, 1998, at approximately 11:15 AM, he had just returned home from work when he went to the nearby corner store and bought a can of beer. Leaving the store, he opened the beverage and began to consume it on the street. Seconds later, he observed a marked police van parked approximately five feet away from him on the corner. Inside, two officers were staring at him; one of them, Officer Schiff, whose name [redacted] observed on the summons issued to him, called him over. As [redacted] got within ten feet of the van, he overheard Officer Schiff state to his partner (PO 2), "I'm going to scare him" (Allegation A).
After having reached the van, [redacted] stood approximately an arm length away from the half-open window on the passenger's side. Seated on this side of the car, Officer Schiff then informed him that he was going to issue him a summons for violating open container laws. [redacted] replied that it was not fair that he should get a summons; Officer Schiff then asked, "What's the matter with you, you're just getting a summons?" and stated rhetorically, "What difference does it make?" [redacted] replied, "Why is it necessary that I get a summons?" to which Officer Schiff answered it was "Guiliani policy." As [redacted] continued to protest, Officer Schiff got aggressive and stated, "I do whatever I want and I decided you're getting a summons... If you have a problem with it, go to court" (Allegation B).
Afterwards. [redacted] stated, "I don't like your attitude," after which Officer Schiff asked him if he had any identification. When [redacted] answered that it was at home in his duffel bag, Officer Schiff stated, "Right now, I could arrest you and run a report." Eventually, however, Officer Schiff verified [redacted] identification by running a computer check with the information that [redacted] verbally gave to him. [redacted] then said, "You have my ID, let me get your badge number so if I go to court," to which Officer Schiff replied, "Why the hell... Read report for details.


Details

Incident: July 24, 1998
Received: July 27, 1998
Closed: July 27, 1998

Reason for contact: Summons/Complainant
Outcome: No arrest made or summons issued