Search Thousands of Civilian Complaints Against New York City Police Officers

This database was last updated in July 2020 and is no longer being updated. Data on this page may be out of date. For more recent information, visit the city's database of civilian complaints against the NYPD.

Force: Pepper Spray

This page contains all allegations assigned to this category by the CCRB. Multiple similar allegations can appear for the same officer because a complaint received from a civilian can include multiple allegations.

Officers With Complaints
266
Complaints
297
Allegations
324

What the CCRB’s Conclusions Mean

Substantiated: The alleged conduct occurred and it violated the rules. (Here is a breakdown of the types of discipline the CCRB can recommend. The NYPD can choose to ignore those recommendations. It has discretion over what, if any, discipline is imposed.)

Exonerated: The alleged conduct occurred but did not violate the NYPD’s rules, which often give officers significant discretion over use of force.

Unsubstantiated: The CCRB has fully investigated but could not affirmatively conclude both that the conduct occurred and that it broke the rules.

Officer Rank at Time of Complaint Officer Details Complainant Details CCRB Conclusion Year Received
Pete Massa Police Officer White male Black female Exonerated 1999
Ramon Munoz Detective Hispanic male Black male, 19 years old Exonerated 1999
Fitzroy Vigilance Police Officer Black male Not available Exonerated 1999
Christophe Lawrence Sergeant White male Black male, 34 years old Exonerated 1999
Timothy Mccormack Sergeant White male Black male, 34 years old Exonerated 1999
Pedro Ramos Police Officer Hispanic male Hispanic male, 43 years old Unsubstantiated 2000
Michael Ernst Police Officer White male Black male, 25 years old Exonerated 2000
James Williams Police Officer White male Hispanic male, 25 years old Exonerated 2001
Finbarr Fleming Police Officer White male Black male, 26 years old Exonerated 2001
Kenneth Oconnor Police Officer White male Black male, 17 years old Exonerated 2001
Cedric Green Police Officer Black male Black male, 51 years old Exonerated 2001
Eric Delman Police Officer White male Black male, 18 years old Exonerated 2001
Eloy Sanchez Police Officer Hispanic male Black male, 44 years old Substantiated (Charges) 2002
Justin Dengler Police Officer White male Black male, 15 years old Exonerated 2002
Joey Rodriguez Police Officer Hispanic male Hispanic male, 18 years old Exonerated 2002
Timothy Heines Detective White male Hispanic male, 28 years old Exonerated 2002
Colin Austin Police Officer Black male Black male, 16 years old Exonerated 2002
Terrence Cane Police Officer White male Black female, 41 years old Exonerated 2002
Terrence Cane Police Officer White male Black female, 58 years old Exonerated 2002
Dennis Russo Police Officer White male Hispanic male, 33 years old Exonerated 2003
Darren King Police Officer Black male Black male, 35 years old Exonerated 2003
Anthony Pizzo Police Officer White male Hispanic male, 24 years old Exonerated 2003
Brian Farrelly Police Officer White male White male, 19 years old Exonerated 2003
Christophe Devaney Sergeant White male Black female, 40 years old Exonerated 2003
John Roberts Police Officer White male Black female, 34 years old Exonerated 2003
Craig Mastromatteo Police Officer White male Black male, 31 years old Exonerated 2003
Christophe Devaney Sergeant White male Black male, 23 years old Exonerated 2003
Jose Delrosario Police Officer Hispanic male Black male, 20 years old Exonerated 2003
Victor Lara Police Officer Hispanic male Black male, 21 years old Exonerated 2003
Kenneth Ayala Police Officer Hispanic male Black male, 33 years old Substantiated (Charges) 2004
Osvaldo Nunez Sergeant Hispanic male Hispanic male, 40 years old Exonerated 2004
Scott Mateyaschuk Police Officer White male Hispanic male, 30 years old Unsubstantiated 2004
Kevin Devine Police Officer White male Black female, 20 years old Exonerated 2004
Thomas Cappolla Police Officer White male Not available Exonerated 2004
Christian Addison Police Officer White male Black male, 29 years old Substantiated (Charges) 2004
Berkley Vantull Police Officer Black male Black male, 18 years old Exonerated 2004
Andres Rodriguez Police Officer Hispanic male Unknown male, 20 years old Exonerated 2004
Jose Delrosario Police Officer Hispanic male Black female, 58 years old Unsubstantiated 2004
Avis Washington Sergeant Black female Hispanic female, 27 years old Exonerated 2004
Thomas Kid Sergeant White male Hispanic male, 42 years old Exonerated 2004
Cesar Polanco Police Officer Hispanic male Black male, 23 years old Exonerated 2004
Victor Appel Police Officer White male Not available male Exonerated 2004
Anthony Henry Lieutenant White male Refused female, 22 years old Exonerated 2004
Brian Brannigan Police Officer White male Hispanic male, 27 years old Exonerated 2004
Yasmin Hicks Police Officer Black female Black female, 24 years old Substantiated (Charges) 2004
Douglas Carr Police Officer Black male Black male, 39 years old Exonerated 2004
Jose Delrosario Police Officer Hispanic male Black male, 24 years old Exonerated 2004
Ronald Bolte Sergeant White male Hispanic female, 31 years old Exonerated 2004
Terrence Cane Police Officer White male Black male, 20 years old Exonerated 2004
Keith Chatterton Police Officer White male Unknown male, 40 years old Unsubstantiated 2004
Carlos Lozada Police Officer Hispanic male Black female, 20 years old Exonerated 2004
Ricardo Bocachica Police Officer Hispanic male Black male, 48 years old Exonerated 2005
Ray Dutton Police Officer White male Black male, 22 years old Exonerated 2005
Ralph Gonzalez Police Officer Hispanic male Black male, 24 years old Exonerated 2005
Michael Alleva Sergeant White male Black male, 28 years old Exonerated 2005
Michael Miller Sergeant White male Black female, 40 years old Exonerated 2005
Johnny Lawrence Police Officer Black male Black male, 42 years old Exonerated 2005
Edwin Ayala Police Officer Hispanic male Black male, 25 years old Exonerated 2005
Christophe Salamone Police Officer White male Black male, 31 years old Exonerated 2005
Emile Provencher Sergeant White male Black male, 23 years old Exonerated 2005
Brian Farrelly Police Officer White male Hispanic male, 15 years old Exonerated 2005
David Nisthaus Sergeant Hispanic male Hispanic male, 23 years old Exonerated 2005
Melvin Moultrie Police Officer Black male Black male, 37 years old Exonerated 2005
Andrew Valenzano Sergeant White male Black male, 42 years old Exonerated 2005
Jorge Torres Police Officer Hispanic male Unknown male, 20 years old Exonerated 2005
Jason Forgione Police Officer White male Black male, 34 years old Exonerated 2005
Michael Rivera Police Officer Hispanic male Unknown male, 41 years old Exonerated 2005
Scott Longmaid Police Officer White male Black male, 16 years old Exonerated 2005
Hairo Franco Police Officer Hispanic male Hispanic male, 25 years old Exonerated 2005
Richard Lavelle Police Officer White male Black male, 21 years old Exonerated 2005
Thomas Loomis Police Officer White male Black male, 15 years old Unsubstantiated 2005
Anthony Gulotta Police Officer White male Black male, 29 years old Exonerated 2006
Gennaro Russo Police Officer White male Black female, 30 years old Exonerated 2006
Sandy Polanco Police Officer Hispanic male Hispanic female, 23 years old Exonerated 2006
Timothy Schultz Police Officer White male Black male, 36 years old Substantiated (Charges) 2006
Christophe Schmidt Lieutenant White male Black male, 42 years old Exonerated 2006
Fernando Centenotalavera Police Officer Hispanic male Black male, 47 years old Substantiated (Command Discipline) 2006
Davey Hernandez Police Officer Hispanic male Black male, 39 years old Exonerated 2006
Adam Samet Police Officer White male Black male, 35 years old Substantiated (Charges) 2006
Edward Scali Police Officer White male Hispanic male, 36 years old Exonerated 2006
Mike Civil Police Officer Black male Black male, 28 years old Exonerated 2006
Michael Scoloveno Police Officer White male Black male, 25 years old Exonerated 2006
Antonio Santana Police Officer Hispanic male Black male, 36 years old Exonerated 2006
Joel Roman Police Officer Hispanic male Black male, 31 years old Exonerated 2006
David Sammarco Police Officer White male Black male, 25 years old Exonerated 2006
Thomas Marco Police Officer White male Black male, 26 years old Exonerated 2006
Edwin Ayala Police Officer Hispanic male Hispanic male, 14 years old Exonerated 2006
Ted Holway Police Officer White male Hispanic male, 24 years old Exonerated 2006
Osvaldo Nunez Sergeant Hispanic male Hispanic male, 19 years old Unsubstantiated 2006
Shante Terrell Detective Black male Black male, 29 years old Unsubstantiated 2006
Angela Polancobrito Police Officer Hispanic female Not available male Substantiated (Command Discipline) 2006
Raymond Abreu Police Officer Hispanic male Black male, 25 years old Exonerated 2006
Nerys Ramirez Police Officer Hispanic female Black female, 18 years old Unsubstantiated 2006
Jose Vasquezmiranda Police Officer Hispanic male Black male, 31 years old Exonerated 2007
Robert Dress Police Officer White male Black male, 26 years old Exonerated 2007
Theresa Callahan Police Officer White female Black male, 26 years old Exonerated 2007
Christophe Winiarz Police Officer White male Black male, 26 years old Exonerated 2007
Wilson Alba Police Officer Hispanic male Black male, 20 years old Exonerated 2007
Mikal Wright Police Officer Black male Unknown male, 36 years old Exonerated 2007
Ricardo Bocachica Police Officer Hispanic male Hispanic male, 23 years old Exonerated 2007
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About This Data
For decades, disciplinary records of police officers in New York have been shielded from public view. After the state recently repealed the law that had kept the records secret, ProPublica requested and received a database from New York City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board, which investigates allegations of misconduct against NYPD officers. The database lists the name of each officer, the race of the complainant and the officer, a category describing the alleged misconduct, and whether the CCRB concluded the officers’ conduct violated NYPD rules. Police unions have opposed New York City’s plan to make public data about disciplinary investigations.

This database names about 4,000 of the NYPD’s 36,000 active-duty officers. Every officer in the database has had at least one substantiated allegation. We excluded any allegations that CCRB investigators concluded did not occur and were deemed unfounded. We also removed a small number of officers (62) against whom the CCRB had substantiated allegations, but whose substantiated allegations had not gone fully through the NYPD’s administrative prosecution process. The CCRB was not able to reach conclusions in many cases, in part because the investigators must rely on the NYPD to hand over crucial evidence, such as footage from body-worn cameras. Often, the department is not forthcoming despite a legal duty to cooperate in CCRB investigations. The CCRB gets thousands of complaints per year but substantiates a tiny fraction of them. Allegations of criminal conduct by officers are typically investigated not by the CCRB but by state or federal prosecutors in conjunction with the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau or the FBI. The NYPD’s own findings in cases in this database are not included here.

Read more about what we’ve included in the database and why, and see our answers to questions we have received about this data. If you have information about any of these officers or cases, please fill out our form.

All of the records in this data are from closed cases. But if you see an error, contact the CCRB. If the agency updates its records and lets us know, we'll do so as well.

The data used in this database is downloadable from ProPublica’s Data Store.

Source
This data was obtained through a records request made to the CCRB. It includes fully investigated allegations only for officers who were members of the department as of late June 2020 and against whom the CCRB has substantiated at least one allegation.
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