A retired inspector in the New York Police Department running as a Republican for a key Hudson Valley congressional district dismissed characterizations of her service after controversy erupted Thursday over her conduct on the force.
Alison Esposito, through her campaign, pushed back after documents surfaced regarding her involvement in two controversial arrests.
One incident included an allegation that she and another officer were involved in a situation where there was an unlawful detention and “frisk[ing]” of an “infant plaintiff” in 2016.
That situation unfolded at an apartment on E. 101 Street in Harlem, and was alleged in an affidavit to be “malicious, unlawful and not based upon a warrant.”
“Let’s be abundantly clear: Alison did NOT handcuff, detain, or stop, question, and frisk an infant. This is a ludicrous and inaccurate assertion,” Ben Weiner, Esposito’s campaign manager said in response to the news first reported by City & State New York.
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The Empire State Building is seen along the Manhattan skyline in New York City on July 24, 2023. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)
Weiner suggested that facts of the case were not highlighted in initial reports and documents.
“The perpetrator in question was a 17-year-old who decided that she was going to prevent the officers from arresting her drug-dealing, gang member boyfriend who was wanted for a shooting, by punching and scratching Alison in the face and neck, refusing to comply with lawful orders.”
In the other case from 2003, three women visiting from Philadelphia were shopping at a department store when they noticed a purse that appeared to have cash sticking out of it.
According to documents from a lawsuit against officers obtained by Fox News Digital, one woman wondered aloud why someone would leave a purse in such a state, while another “picked up the purse” and considered whether it was a “set up” before returning it.
Outside, the women were detained by three plainclothes officers, including Esposito, according to the lawsuit. The women accused the officers of “deprivation of [their] liberty” among other transgressions.
According to the affidavit, Esposito “grabbed [one of the plaintiffs] and held her.”
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A general view of Dutchess County Courthouse in Poughkeepsie, NY, on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
The plaintiff, who admitted touching the purse later, alleged that she had been handcuffed with her “hands behind her back in an unnecessarily tight manner.”
The city ultimately settled both cases for a combined $120,000, according to City & State New York.
In comments to Fox News Digital, Weiner also called out Esposito’s opponent, Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y, saying the lawmaker and his “activists are trying to disgrace Alison’s 25-year NYPD career for political purposes.”
The two candidates have both burnished their law enforcement and military credentials, and Esposito previously derided Ryan’s similar move from service to politics.
Both candidates also describe themselves as rule-of-law problem-solvers in the Poughkeepsie area district that could decide the fate of the House next year.
As for the facts of the cases, Weiner said criminals often try to “scapegoat” law enforcement and embroil them in lengthy court proceedings, which leads municipalities to settle in order to avoid “costly litigation.”
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Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., is facing off against former NYPD Insp. Alison Esposito in November. (Getty Images)
He also said that one of the prior reports on the matter was “an obviously untrue story [done] without proper due diligence [which] highlights the lengths the far-left will go to admonish the police.”
Ryan did not return a request for comment.
The Democrat has pushed back on some of Esposito’s claims in the past, including that he made Ulster a “sanctuary county” while county executive.
In 2019, Ryan enacted an order adjusting procedures involving cooperation with immigration authorities, and he noted at the time that Ulster strenuously avoided “sanctuary city” terminology.
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In previous remarks to Fox News Digital, Ryan also noted he was one of 15 Democrats to demand President Biden seal the border by-fiat – calling the situation down there a “crisis.”
In turn, Esposito has contended that Ryan honorably served his country but became a typical politician when he entered Congress.
She also called upon her NYPD service to highlight how she would take on the immigration crisis herself, citing Orange County in particular as subject to migrant-related crime.