Responding to Plain Clothes Police Officers

Does a citizen have to obey plain clothes police officers?

See Press Release below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: KEVIN RYAN
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2006 NICOLE NAVAS
MERIS CAMPBELL
(718)286-6315
D.A. BROWN: ASTORIA MAN CHARGED WITH POSING AS POLICE OFFICER
AND DETAINING INNOCENT 15-YEAR-OLD HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
Allegedly Aired Incident on Website
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that a 21-year-old Astoria man has
been charged with criminal impersonation, among other charges, for posing as a plainclothes New York City
police officer and unlawfully stopping and questioning an innocent pedestrian about a purported robbery.
Unknown to the pedestrian - a 15-year-old high school student - the incident was being recorded and later
appeared on a website entitled "YouTube."
District Attorney Brown said, "The defendant is accused of posing as a police officer and stopping
a law-abiding pedestrian late at night. His alleged actions not only damage the reputation of our police
officers - who already perform a difficult job - but potentially could have resulted in injury to the victim
or even himself."
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Gazi Abura, 21, of 23-55 White Oak Court in
Astoria. The defendant is being held pending arraignment in Queens Criminal Court on charges of seconddegree
criminal impersonation, second-degree coercion and second-degree unlawful imprisonment. If
convicted, the defendant faces up to a year in jail.
District Attorney Brown said that, according to the criminal charges, the 15-year-old male victim was
walking home one night last July when a burgundy car pulled alongside him at the intersection of 85th Street
and 25th Avenue and three men -including the defendant - exited the vehicle. The men allegedly identified
themselves as police officers and directed the victim to stop, raise his hands over his head and provide
identification. Believing that the three men were police officers in plain clothes, he complied with all their
instructions. The men then informed the victim that there had been a robbery in the area and that he matched
the description of the suspect. The men then allegedly demanded to see identification and to know where
the victim was going when they stopped him. The victim explained that he was going home and produced
his high school identification card.
The District Attorney said that the criminal charges further allege that several weeks later the victim
heard that the incident was appearing on a website entitled "YouTube." The victim was unaware that the
incident had been recorded or that his photo identification card had been recorded for the benefit of the
website's viewers.
District Attorney Brown noted that the investigation was continuing.
The investigation leading to today's arrest was conducted by Detective Gregory McCann of the New
York City Police Department's Internal Affairs Bureau Group 51 under the supervision of Lieutenant John
Zerillo, Commanding Officer.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Daniel J. O'Leary, of the District
Attorney's Integrity Bureau under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Carmencita N. Gutierrez,
Deputy Bureau Chief, and James M. Liander, Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Executive
Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Peter A. Crusco and Deputy Executive Assistant District
Attorney Linda M. Cantoni.
It should be noted that a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed
innocent until proven guilty.
#