Cops arrested me after I refused to expose my breasts during traffic stop
By Rebecca Rosenberg, C.J. Sullivan and Bruce Golding
New York Post
January 4, 2018
A Brooklyn woman claims an NYPD cop asked her to expose her breasts during a traffic stop — and arrested her on bogus charges when she refused.
Jasmine Campbell of Bushwick is suing the city and Officer Javier Munoz for $2 million over the alleged Feb. 26, 2014, incident, during which she says Munoz “kept looking at me and leaned in like he wanted to have a private talk.”
“He kept looking down at my chest. He asked me, ‘Do you have anything underneath your shirt?’ I said, ‘No,’” Campbell told The Post on Thursday.
“I felt embarrassed. He leaned in further and asked, ‘Do you want to show me something?’ He said that with a smirk on his face.”
“Now, all this sexual harassment is big news — but I have been telling the same story since 2014. This is not something new to me,” she added.
Campbell, 25, didn’t include details of Munoz’ alleged misconduct when she filed a false-arrest suit in Brooklyn federal court in 2016, but publicly revealed it in a settlement-demand letter served on the city Law Department on Thursday.
The letter notes that Campbell’s “breast size is 36DD,” and includes a picture of the zip-front, long-sleeved white top she was wearing during the alleged incident.
According to the letter, Campbell was driving to get something to eat with a male friend when she was stopped by Munoz and another, unidentified cop.
Following her interaction with Munoz, Campbell was ordered out of the driver’s seat with her hands up, at which point the other cop allegedly asked her for a hug, which she refused.
The letter also says that unbeknown to Campbell, her friend was carrying some pot, and both of them were hauled off to the 75th Precinct after he admitted it.
But while the friend was released with a desk appearance ticket, Campbell was booked on misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and criminal possession of marijuana.
She was “put through the system” and released without bail following her arraignment, but all charges were later “dismissed on the merits,” the letter says.
In court papers, Munoz and the city have denied any wrongdoing, saying, “There was probable cause for [Campbell’s] arrest, detention, and subsequent prosecution.”
The city offered to settle the case for $2,500, but Campbell rejected the offer, said her lawyer, Lawrence LaBrew.
“The arrest of Ms. Campbell was a sham and the city appears to condoning this conduct, based on their position,” he added.
Both the NYPD and the Law Department declined to comment.
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