False Imprisonment Attorney Bronx

When Bronx police hold you without legal justification (whether in handcuffs on the street, in the back of a patrol car, or locked in a cell) they rob you of your freedom. I fight back against unlawful detention and hold officers accountable for false imprisonment.

Bronx Residents Who Fought Back Against Unlawful Detention

Held Against Your Will Without Justification

One moment you’re going about your day in the Bronx. The next, officers are telling you to stop and you’re not free to go.

The shock hits you first. You haven’t done anything wrong. You know you haven’t done anything wrong. But there you are, standing on a street corner in handcuffs while neighbors pass by and stare.

Maybe they put you in the back of a patrol car. The door handles don’t work from the inside. You’re restrained, trapped, with no explanation of what you supposedly did.

You ask why you’re being detained. They don’t answer. You ask what you did. They tell you to be quiet. You ask if you’re under arrest. They say they’re “investigating.”

Hours pass. You’re sitting in a precinct holding cell. No charges have been filed. No one will tell you what’s happening. Officers walk by like you’re invisible.

You had somewhere to be. Someone waiting for you. Work, family obligations, important appointments. None of that matters because officers decided to hold you without justification.

The humiliation is what stays with you. Being treated like a criminal in your own neighborhood. People you know seeing you in custody and wondering what you did. The helplessness of being physically prevented from leaving while demanding to know why.

This is the moment freedom is stolen. This is what false imprisonment feels like.

+1 (718) 662 8265

The Damage Extends Far Beyond the Detention

The detention ends, but the consequences don’t. They ripple outward, touching every part of your life.
At work, you’re late. Or you don’t show up at all. Your boss doesn’t care about excuses. You’re written up, suspended, or fired. Lost wages pile up, not just from the hours you were detained but from the shifts you lose after.

The practical damage hits immediately:

Kids waiting at school with no one to pick them up
Childcare emergencies that cost money to resolve
Medical appointments you miss (and get charged for)
Bills that go unpaid because you couldn't get to the bank
Opportunities lost because you weren't where you needed to be

Relationships strain under the weight of unexplained absence. Family members worry. Friends wonder. You can’t explain where you were because you don’t even know why you were detained.

The psychological impact lingers longest. You develop anxiety around police. You see a patrol car and your heart races. You change your route to avoid certain blocks. You wonder if they’ll grab you again for no reason.

Neighbors saw you detained. Coworkers heard about it. Your reputation takes a hit through no fault of your own. People don’t know you weren’t charged. They just know they saw you in police custody.

Here’s the validation you need: Being detained requires legal justification. Officers need probable cause or a warrant. They can’t just grab you because they feel like it. When they detain you without legal grounds, everything that follows is their responsibility.

Your Right to Freedom of Movement Under the Law

The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution protects you from unlawful seizure of your person. That includes detention and arrest without legal justification.

Police can briefly stop you if they have reasonable suspicion. That means specific facts suggesting you’re involved in criminal activity. This is called a Terry stop, and it has to be brief.

To arrest you, they need probable cause. That means facts that would lead a reasonable person to believe you committed a crime. Not a guess. Not a feeling. Facts.

“We’re investigating” is not enough. They need specific, articulable facts about why they’re detaining you.

If you’re not free to leave, you’re being detained. That detention requires legal justification from the moment it starts.

Handcuffing intensifies the seizure:

Requires higher justification than a simple stop
Transforms encounter into serious restraint of freedom
Must be based on safety concerns or probable cause
Cannot be used just to make officer’s job easier

Detaining you “while we figure things out” can be false imprisonment. Officers can’t hold you hoping probable cause will develop. They need justification when the detention begins.

Holding you beyond the time needed for investigation is unlawful. Even if the initial stop was justified, prolonging it without additional basis violates your rights.

Taking you to a precinct without probable cause for arrest is false imprisonment. The moment they transport you into custody, they need arrest-level justification.

Even if no charges are filed, unlawful detention violates your rights. You don’t need to be convicted or even charged to have a false imprisonment claim.

I spent eight years working as an NYPD detective. I know the difference between lawful police work and rights violations. I know when officers are making excuses, and I know how to prove it.

You Had the Right to Leave

If officers detained you without reasonable suspicion, arrested you without probable cause, or held you longer than legally permitted, your constitutional rights were violated. False imprisonment doesn’t require jail time. Being restrained on the street, held in a patrol car, or kept in a precinct unlawfully all qualify.

I’ll prove the detention was unlawful and pursue the compensation you deserve.

I'm so sorry this happened to you. This was extremely unfair. I hear you, and I can imagine how horrible this felt. As someone who worked inside this system, I understand what you're going through.

Proving false imprisonment starts with obtaining arrest records and detention logs. These show exactly how long you were held and create an official timeline.

I file Freedom of Information Law requests for body camera footage and surveillance video. Body cameras capture the initial encounter, what was said, and how officers justified the detention. Precinct surveillance shows your time in custody.

Witness interviews are critical. I talk to anyone who saw you being detained. Neighbors who watched it happen. People who were present during the stop. Their testimony corroborates your account.

I analyze whether officers had reasonable suspicion or probable cause. I compare their stated reasons with the legal standards. I examine gaps between the initial stop and when you were actually allowed to leave.

I review any statements officers made about the detention:

What they told you at the scene
What they wrote in their reports
What they said in radio transmissions
Whether their explanations changed over time

I consult with civil rights experts on Fourth Amendment standards. These experts can testify about what the Constitution requires and how your detention violated it.

I work extensively in the Bronx and know the precincts: 40th, 41st, 42nd, 43rd, 44th, 45th, 46th, 47th, 48th, 49th, 50th, and 52nd. I know which commands have patterns of unlawful detention. I know the communities where this happens most often.

I document all your damages. Lost wages from work you missed. Missed obligations and their consequences. Emotional distress from the experience. Everything you lost because officers detained you unlawfully.

I build a case showing the detention exceeded lawful scope or duration. Even if the initial stop was justified, I prove when it crossed the line into false imprisonment.

Let me be honest with you about what we can expect based on my experience with the city. I'm building the strongest possible case to secure the justice you deserve. The city will fight back, but I know their tactics because I worked for them.

I can help you hold NYPD financially accountable for their actions and the harm they caused. This is about getting your dignity back.

You're entitled to compensation for the time you were unlawfully detained. We measure this in hours or days, and each moment matters. Your freedom has value.

You can recover lost wages for work you missed during the detention. If you lost your job because of the detention, you can recover damages for that too.

You can also recover for:

Humiliation and emotional distress from being detained
Physical discomfort (tight handcuffs, uncomfortable holding conditions)
Consequences like job loss or childcare costs
Any injuries you sustained during the detention

If officers knew they lacked legal basis to hold you, you may be entitled to punitive damages. These are designed to punish officers and deter future violations.

You can recover compensation even if charges were never filed. In fact, being released without charges strengthens your false imprisonment claim because it suggests officers lacked probable cause from the start.

If charges were filed but later dropped, that also supports your case. It shows the initial detention didn't have sufficient basis.

The amount depends on multiple factors. How long were you held? What were the conditions? What did you lose? What harm did you suffer?

Based on my insider experience, I can give you a realistic assessment of what your case is worth. I don't make promises I can't keep, but I fight aggressively to maximize your recovery.

You deserve justice, and I'm going to fight to get it for you.

You must file a Notice of Claim within 90 days of the false imprisonment. Not 91 days. Exactly 90 days. This deadline is absolute.

The 90-day period starts on the date of detention, not the date your charges were dismissed. Not when you decided to sue. The day it happened.

Missing this deadline means losing your right to sue the City of New York. The courts cannot extend it. There are no exceptions. Your claim is gone.

Even if your criminal case is ongoing, the civil claim deadline runs separately. Many people lose valid claims because they wait to see how the criminal case resolves. Don't make that mistake.

Early filing protects your evidence:

Body camera footage has retention limits and may be deleted
Officers create incident reports shortly after detention
Witness memories fade quickly with time
Precinct logs might be harder to obtain later

I can file your Notice of Claim even while your criminal case proceeds. Protecting your civil rights doesn't jeopardize your criminal defense. I coordinate both.

Let me walk you step by step through the process and make this as simple as possible. I handle the filing. I preserve the evidence. I meet the deadlines. You focus on moving forward.

Don't wait to see how your criminal case resolves. Protect your civil rights now while you still can.

I have a track record of successful false imprisonment claims against NYPD. I understand what legally justifies detention versus what's unlawful. I know the difference because I enforced these standards as a detective.

I know Bronx precincts and their detention patterns. I know which commands have cultures of unlawful stops. I know the neighborhoods where this happens most frequently. I know the community you're from because it's the community I serve.

I aggressively pursue both compensatory and punitive damages. I don't settle for less than what you deserve. If the city won't be fair, I take them to trial.

I work on contingency for civil rights cases. No upfront costs. I only get paid if I recover damages for you. This is about access to justice, not creating financial barriers.

When you work with me, you get:

Someone who believes your account and fights to prove officers lacked justification
Direct communication without corporate layers
Honest assessments based on insider knowledge of the system
Aggressive litigation when necessary
Commitment to preserving evidence before it disappears

I handle everything from Notice of Claim through trial if necessary. You'll be informed, prepared, and confident at every stage.

I'm accessible to Bronx communities who've been targeted by unlawful detention. I take your experience seriously. I validate what you went through. I fight to restore your dignity.

Bronx False Imprisonment Questions

How long can police detain me without arresting me?

A brief investigative stop must be brief and based on reasonable suspicion. Length depends on circumstances but generally means minutes, not hours. Prolonged detention without probable cause becomes false imprisonment. If they’re holding you for hours, they need probable cause to arrest you.

What if police said they were "just asking questions"?

If you weren’t free to leave, you were being detained. Voluntary conversation is different from detention. If you asked to leave and they said no, that’s detention requiring legal justification. “Just asking questions” doesn’t give them authority to prevent you from leaving.

Can I sue if I was never formally arrested?

Yes. False imprisonment includes any unlawful restraint of your freedom. Being held in handcuffs, in a patrol car, or at a precinct without legal basis all qualify, even without formal arrest. You don’t need to have been arrested or charged to have a claim.

What if they released me after a few hours without charging me?

This actually supports your case. Releasing you without charges suggests they lacked probable cause to detain you in the first place. You can sue for those hours of unlawful detention. The lack of charges strengthens your false imprisonment claim.

Do I need to prove I was innocent?

No. False imprisonment claims focus on whether officers had legal justification to detain you when they did. Even if you ultimately committed a crime, if the detention was initially unlawful, you have a claim. It’s about their justification, not your innocence.

What if I was detained during a "sweep" of the neighborhood?

Mass detentions or sweeps often lack individualized probable cause. Detaining someone just because they’re in a certain area typically violates the Fourth Amendment. I examine whether officers had specific facts justifying your detention individually, not just your presence in the area.

Your Freedom Is a Constitutional Right

Police cannot detain you just because they feel like it. Every minute you’re unlawfully held is a violation of your rights. False imprisonment claims hold officers accountable. You deserve compensation for time stolen and dignity violated. I offer free consultations on contingency. The 90-day deadline means you must act now. Your freedom matters.