NYPD discussing charges for Central Park ‘Karen’ Amy Cooper with DA
by Amanda Woods and Yaron SteinbuchThe NYPD is working with the Manhattan DA’s Office to determine whether any charges could be brought against the white woman who called cops on a black man in Central Park, a police official said Friday.
“Our detectives are working hand in hand right now with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office,” NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan said in an interview with WPIX.
“Obviously, we don’t want to make an arrest if the [DA’s office] isn’t sure if they can prosecute that,” Monahan said.
“So we’re taking a look at exactly what the calls were, speaking to Christian, speaking to Amy, speaking to everyone involved, looking through all the videos to see if it sustains a charge,” he said.
“The uproar because of this, what she’s caused because of that call, we condemn that action, and if we can make that arrest, we will,” Monahan added.
“If it’s a false call and we can prove it, there’s going to be an arrest … If someone intentionally makes a false call and we can prove it, they will be arrested right away. There is no place for that in this city,” he said.
Christian Cooper filmed the now-viral encounter with Amy Cooper on Monday after he asked her to put a leash on her dog in the park’s Ramble.
Amy told the bird enthusiast that she was going to call the cops and “tell them there’s an African-American man threatening my life.”
On Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio suggested that Amy should be investigated for falsely accusing Christian of threatening her.
“I think there’s a very valid question about calling the police for any false claim of a crime,” Hizzoner said during his daily press briefing.
“I don’t know the law, but that’s the direction I would look at. Did she commit an offense by falsely accusing someone? That to me is the thing we need to better ascertain,” he said.
The NYPD said earlier that it wouldn’t pursue charges against Amy, who is under investigation by the city Commission on Human Rights.
De Blasio, who earlier this week said Amy showed “racism” and “hatred,” called the incident “disgusting.”
“It just says how much more we need to do to fix things in this country and this city,” he said Thursday.
The video of the encounter sparked widespread outrage from viewers calling Amy a racist “Karen,” social media shorthand for white women who call the cops on black neighbors over harmless incidents.
Amy — who has since apologized for the incident, saying she’s not racist — has been fired from her job at the investment firm Franklin Templeton, while the Central Park Civic Association has called for her to be banned from the park.