Emily Hirshowitz, an officer with the Ossining Police Department, was charged last Wednesday with multiple counts of filing a false instrument and falsely reporting an incident.
The charges include three counts of first-degree filing a false instrument, a felony, and four counts of third-degree falsely reporting an incident, as reported by the Westchester Journal News.
Hirshowitz joined the force in 2016 after serving as an officer in New Rochelle for two years. In 2018, she was recognized as the Employee of the Year by the Rotary Club of Ossining, an accolade celebrated by the police department on its Facebook page.
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The incident began in May of last year when Hirshowitz filed a complaint with the District Attorney's office regarding harassing and anonymous texts she received on her personal phone.
July 04, 2023
She claimed that a fellow police officer or multiple officers at her department were involved and urged for an investigation to expose the alleged perpetrator.
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Screenshots of the messages were provided to investigators, revealing disturbing content including notes urging her to commit suicide and derogatory insults. The Westchester Journal News reviewed the criminal complaint, which detailed the messages.
The Ossining police and local leaders became involved in the case, expressing concern over the increasingly threatening nature of the messages.
Their input prompted the District Attorney's office to continue investigating, despite Hirshowitz informing them in August 2022 that she no longer wished to pursue the complaint.
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In August of the same year, the police chief held a mandatory staff meeting, inviting the mayor and other village leaders to discuss the messages.
By October, the District Attorney's office obtained a warrant to search Hirshowitz's phone and Apple iCloud account. Investigators suspected that she was the likely source of the messages, as several phone numbers associated with the messages were linked to the police officer.
However, court documents revealed that investigators believe another individual known to the District Attorney's office may be connected to three additional messages sent to Hirshowitz.
The office is currently unable to pursue criminal charges related to these messages.
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While the court documents do not specifically name any officer who may have sent the messages, a local attorney stated that his client, former Ossining police officer Louis Rinaldi, is under investigation.
Rinaldi resigned last year following unrelated disciplinary charges, and his name came up during police interviews regarding the text messages.
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Hirshowitz was released after her arrest and is scheduled to appear in White Plains City Court on July 12, according to her attorney, Paul DerOhannesian. He expressed that there is still much mystery and confusion surrounding the allegations in the case.
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Hirshowitz was suspended with pay in June, according to reports. Fox News Digital reached out to the Ossining Police Department, the District Attorney's office, Rinaldi's attorney, and Hirshowitz's attorney for additional comment but did not receive an immediate response.
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