A New York City police officer is filing a lawsuit against the NYPD, claiming he was wrongfully arrested by fellow officers who refused to grant him Blue Privilege when he flashed them his badge.
Karim Powell, 32, who has been a cop for five years, was charged with refusing to identify himself after cops accused him of leading them on a pursuit through the Bronx, which he denies.
Powell claims he not only presented his identification, but he also flashed his badge, telling them he was on the job (when he was actually off-duty).
According to the New York Post:
The incident occurred in March 2017, while Officer Karim Powell was off-duty and in his own vehicle, says the notice of claim, which is the step before a formal lawsuit.
The two arresting cops claim that Powell had led them on a car chase right before they pulled him over in the Bronx.
One of the officers got out of his patrol car and, “He came up, and he said ‘turn around’ and placed me in cuffs,” Powell told The Post.
“I said, ‘I’m on the job.’ His reply was, ‘What job?’ and I said, ‘Same job as you.’ ”
Powell, 32, said he showed the cop his badge, to no avail.
“I took my ID out, and [the cop] said, ‘I can’t see it.’ I took it out of my wallet and gave it to him,” Powell said. “He took the keys off the roof and said, ‘F–k that s–t.’ He went back to the [patrol car], and he was on the cellphone.
Powell was placed on modified duty for more than a year and was finally reinstated to his normal job last month. He then filed a notice of claim which is the first step in filing a lawsuit against the city.
He said he is asking for $5 million to make up for the emotional anguish he has suffered since the incident.
