A new federal lawsuit claims that NYPD officers declined to view surveillance footage from Ring cameras that would have cleared a nurse arrested on domestic violence charges.
Lara was put through the ringer of the criminal justice system for six months as a result of the officers' refusal to watch the video, ...
...she claimed, despite a state law requiring police to look into who the "primary physical aggressor" in a domestic violence case is.
They took my fingerprints, put me in a cell, and that evening I went to booking in downtown. The following morning, she said, I saw the judge.
Lara, a registered nurse, claimed: "I was attacked in my own home. It had an impact on my job; I couldn't get a job because they claimed I had a case pending against me.".
The agency that employed me as a school nurse informed me via email that I had been arrested and would lose my job if I didn't resolve the situation. My entire professional future was at stake.
Her arrival was unexpected, Lara said, because her mother, who lives with her, had announced that a different relative ...
...was coming to visit. We'll review the case and respond in the litigation, the city Law Department's spokesman said.
Lara says in the video, "I don't want you here. " However, the cousin pushes her way through the door and strikes Lara in the chest.
Lara went to the 61st Precinct to accuse her cousin of burglary and assault. The cousin shouts to two women outside the apartment, "Call the police! Call the f---ing police!".
According to Lara's lawsuit, the police officers Richard Powers and Robert Emmanuel who responded to their call ignored the Ring ...
...security camera that had easily accessible exonerating video that was plainly visible on a nearby cabinet in the living room.
Despite claiming to have received all of this training, the NYPD officers don't adhere to it.
Lara claims that when she returned to the precinct on July 4 to inquire about the status of her complaint, she ...
...was handcuffed. That day, officers handling her cousin's complaint filled out a form requesting Lara's arrest.
After finally watching the video, the prosecution dismissed her case, she claimed, at her third court appearance on December 8.
It was terrifying because I lost a lot of weight and started experiencing sudden, unrelated dizziness.
She continued, "What would have happened if I hadn't had the video?".