The police are among the very worst offenders under the current Massachusetts public records regime, even after all of the legislative progress that has been made.. Roca said he did speak to both the attorney generals office and FBI at the same time, but that there was no subsequent follow-up from them. var photocredit = "'Screenshot from YouTube.' He said when he spoke out against the alleged injustice, racism and favoritism and nepotism that he had witnessed, he was punished and shunned. Roca said his attempts to transfer to a different police department were allegedly sabotaged by the chief, and cited a single informal complaint made against him that he said ended with no investigation and him working in an administrative role for more than a month. var photocredit = "'GAZETTE FILE PHOTO' 'Holyoke police officer parks in the train station on Main Street on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. So far, the commission has only suspended 19 officers statewide because they were either arrested, charged or indicted on a felony charge. Roca said he had performed consistently in his role as a police officer and engaged in crime fighting when others were allegedly sleeping in their police cruisers and ignoring crime. He went on to say there had been officers he knew of that were allegedly involved in drunk driving incidents, who had assaulted people with their boats who have been labeled as racist and officers who had stolen money. He went on to say there were police officers who allegedly have made an excess of $260,000 a year and no one had questioned the situation. The city attorney suggested that under the circumstances the city was getting off easy. He said the incident took place last year and involved the department responding to a call at the boat ramp where a citizen had stated that an officer had purposely rammed his boat. Febo went on to say there were conflicting accounts regarding the incident and very minor contact. He said while no formal complaint was filed, a report was filed and the incident was not covered up. Additionally, he said, the officer was spoken to about rudeness when dealing with the public. var photocredit = photocredit.toUpperCase(); At the time, then-Police Chief James Neiswanger said the weapon had fallen out of Harts pickup truck. Out of the 92 times an officer was named in a civilian complaint, HPDs top brass only sustained, or upheld, allegations against an officer three times: a dispatcher who received a verbal warning in 2012 when she was accused of rudeness, an officer who received a verbal warning after he released a 14 year olds booking photo to the press in 2018, and another officer who received additional training in 2013 after a group of civilians accused her of swearing at them and referring to them as illegals.. She wrotethat she believed Rocas public statements to be untruthful and self-serving, and that he made them with the intent to defame the Holyoke Police Department.. Read the rules you agree to by using this website in our Terms Some people who filed a complaint with the HPD said that officers actions impacted their lives long after the alleged misconduct took place. When you are someone who speaks up about injustice and about corrupt police officers, they label you as a liar, they label you as a dirty police officer, they label you as someone who is untrustworthy, he said. var sellablestring4 = "GAZETTE FILE PHOTO"; One is a female who is being trained to investigate sensitive crimes involving children, females and domestic violence. N/A civilian complaints of police misconduct. It's Boston local news in one concise, fun and informative email. Twelve of the 46 patrolmen with eight years or more of experience are part of a minority group, and nine of them have specialized positions, Febo wrote. GAZETTE FILE PHOTO Holyoke Police Department | Holyoke MA Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. }. //LBtag_id.innerHTML = ''; I plan to fight this to the end. Alex Benjamin Morse (born January 29, 1989) is an American politician who served as the 44th mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts from 2012 to 2021. Here is the list of officers: Devon Bones, Holyoke Police Department. Last year, a judge ruled in favor of the newspaper and ordered the city to pay $5,000 in punitive damages and $100,000 in legal fees. 1 Catholic Memorial; roundup/list of scores, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking. In this still from a video Roca posted to YouTube on March 7, 2021, Roca alleges there is corruption and racism in the Holyoke Police Department. But for Concepcion, the man who alleged police abused their authority pulling him over in 2016, thats exactly the kind of work Holyoke and other cities should be doing. Concepcion said his experience with the HPDs internal affairs system shows that there isnt any accountability within the department. On March 9, spokesperson for the Holyoke Police Department Matthew Moriarty confirmed that Roca was on paid leave while an internal investigation was completed regarding the matter. They label you a liar, he said. As of March 9, Roca has been suspended from the department due to his violation of a rule prohibiting officers from criticizing the department on social media platforms. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Daily Hampshire Gazette Contests & Promotions, Daily Hampshire Gazette Evening Top Reads, Daily Hampshire Gazette Weekly Top Stories, Daily Hampshire Gazette Dining & Entertainment, Support the
", He calls out corrupt officers, including the "corrupt police chief, and he is out to get me" He also talks about the "vast misrepresentation when it comes to minority police officers. School Holyoke Community College; Course Title ENGLISH 1301; Type. Uploaded By Greenpalace1. Read about what we do with the data we gather in our Privacy Policy. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Locally, the city of Pittsfield has a Police Advisory and Review Board. (They) never investigated any of my allegations to see if I was lying, he said. I find that the amount of force used was reasonably necessary under the circumstances, the internal investigation concluded, noting that fellow officers described Hamels initial interaction with the man as peaceful, calm and cooperative.. A police officer says he's on paid administrative leave for refusing to take down the 43-minute video that alleges corruption within the police department in Holyoke, Massachusetts. A newly released independent audit of the Holyoke Police Department found the HPD poses a "substantial risk" to the city it serves. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). (AP) A Massachusetts police officer who posted a video online alleging corruption within his department says he has been placed on paid administrative leave after refusing to take it down and will probably lose his job. tag_id.innerHTML = ''; Roca said that the department is rife with racism. In his video, Roca references alleged abuse of overtime pay. Jorge Monsalve. Officers have. Nine of those 12 are in specialized assignments other than patrol operations. We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Not to stop anyone., Terrill said the best practice is to allow civilians to file complaints against officers in multiple venues in-person oronline, like the POST Commission now allows on its website and to be able to do so anonymously. He said: The chief saw your video and hes ordering you to take it down, Roca said. The attorney generals office declined to comment on Tuesday. The city of Holyoke is not alone in resisting transparency, and I think thats the only way to describe an 18-month delay in providing access to records that clearly were public, said Jeffrey Pyle, an attorney with the firm Prince Lobel Tye LLP who specializes in media and First Amendment law. A vehicle was stolen in Granby, Mass., that vehicle was driven by suspects who drove around and broke into parked vehicles in driveways in South Hadley. Holyoke, MA Those who are paying attention to the ever-expanding police state in the land of the free know that the system is set up in such a way that it protects bad cops while punishing the good ones. At the time, Roca told the commission that he had told Monsalve he was OK with the driver being placed in protective custody instead of being arrested because he did not view it as his decision.. Suspected. Murphy said in a phone interview Monday that he felt no pressure from anyone to terminate Roca before he left office. The suspected shooter is in custody. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected the youngest mayor of Holyoke at age 22. SCREENSHOT/YOUTUBE It was not there to help me.. He said that Febo and others have stepped in to prevent him from getting jobs with other police departments. Its not clear and it doesnt exist. He wrote that because the boy refused several times to place his hand behind his back so that he could be handcuffed, Officer Romero was forced to place him on the ground.. In this still from a video Roca posted to YouTube on March 7, 2021, Roca alleges there is corruption and racism in the Holyoke Police Department. They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system, Roca said during an interview at the time. Bryan Custadio, Fall River Police Department. "We cannot expect people to have respect for law and order until we teach respect to those we They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system," Roca said on Monday,according to MassLive. All rights reserved (About Us). Roca said a police captain called him about a day after he posted the video. It took the HPD more than a year and a half to turn over its 69 internal investigations, all of which the department redacted to remove information about the person alleging misconduct. AMHERST Amherst Police Chief Scott Livingstone will retire in May after nearly 14 years leading a department he joined upon graduating from AMHERST Unions at the University of Massachusetts are contending that more than 100 state jobs, and their accompanying benefits, are being WALTERBORO, S.C. One of the last pieces of a legal dynasty that doled out justice in rural South Carolina for decades crumbled Friday as lawyer WASHINGTON President Joe Biden exudes confidence as the next race for the White House approaches.During last months State of the Union address Holyoke police officer parks in the train station on Main Street on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. And in Amherst, records show that during a 12-year period, theAmherst Police Department investigated 16 civilian complaints; in only one of those cases did an officer face discipline. Officer Rafael Roca posted a 43-minute video early Sunday morning that drew a wave of online attention after Roca accused Febo of being corrupt by looking the other way from certain officers misbehavior, while remaining intent on punishing others. There are white people who try to make it difficult for us, make it difficult for the people who have done the right thing, make it difficult for the people who want to stand up for whats right, he said. Amid Pandemic, Boston Loses Title as Country's Worst City for Traffic, Biden Hopes to Boost Offshore Wind as Mass. . Roca said that as a result, supervisors have given him a bad image that has influenced others in the department. Roca was immediately placed on administrative leave as the department conducted an internal investigation. I want to ensure the citizens of Holyoke that they can continue to have confidence in the men and women of the Holyoke Police Department and the great work that they do every day, he wrote. Joshua Garcia was sworn in as Holyokes 45th mayor on Monday. Reyes ultimately exonerated Romero. Rafael Roca, 37,. Because Roca has filed an appeal, the state Civil Service Commission will now determine whether his discipline will stand. In court filings, Pagans lawyer called the HPDs process of reviewing civilian complaints baroque, pointing to the fact that James Neiswanger, who was the police chief at the time, said in a deposition that before complaints were investigated, an administrator reviewed them to determine if they had merit., Hernandez Pagan attempted to file a complaint, the lawsuit alleged. designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated It goes back as long as anyone can remember, he said in the video. And I think were allowing a lot of these police departments to be above it.. They kept trying to use the grabbing of the genitals to kind of quiet me down as a form of punishment and pain, Concepcion said. Sgts. Some complaints involve allegations that police officers broke the law. They pick and choose who they want to discipline and who they dont want to discipline.. Instead of arresting the driver, Monsalve, one of a number of officers who responded, decided to park the drivers car and give him a ride back home. Reyes, the HPD captain who oversees internal investigations, said in his final report that the boy had let his twin brother and another student back into the building after they were suspended a major breach of security because of shootings and gang activity in the community. Holyoke Police Captain Matthew Moriarty told Western Mass News that Holyoke police officials responded to a report of gunfire on 136 Sargeant Street around 9 p.m. on Tuesday night. Based on the report, Police Chief David Pratt suspended Roca for five days and recommended that the citys mayor terminate him. The mayors office said it expects the report to be completed in the coming days. Our forum rules are detailed in the Community Guidelines. I stand behind the video and what I said in it.. Subscribe Today, Amherst Police Chief Livingstone stepping down in May, Unions: UMass putting 100 jobs in jeopardy with privatization plan, Murdaughs fall from grace ends in life sentence for murder, Biden leaving room to change his mind on reelection.