An NYPD officer is accused of using his authority to sexually prey on and assault women. Officer Wilfredo Rosario has been suspended from his position at Harlem's 26th Precinct as he was arraigned on charges of first-degree sexual abuse, official misconduct, unlawful imprisonment and attempted coercion. The charges stem from an incident in which Rosario met a 27-year-old woman with her child while he was in uniform. He told the woman he could help her get a job as a school crossing guard and her child into an after-school program. The police officer took her name and information and told her he would contact her.

A few days later on March 26th, Ofc. Rosario arrived at the woman's house and asked her to get into his car. Instead of following up on his offered assistance, however, he drove the mother to a secluded area on Riverside Drive and sexually assaulted her. Afterwards, when the woman attempted to leave the car, he pulled her back inside and assaulted her again.

In the course of investigating the charges against him, police uncovered a 2002 incident where Rosario encountered an 18-year-old woman in Riverside Park with a young man after the park had closed. Rosario told the young woman that he would not issue her a summons or tell her parents if she agreed to have sex with him then and there. The woman said that she ran off. Before he was arrested, Rosario was working as a community affairs officer.

Image from Shock and, by matt carman at flickr