holyoke police corruption

They pick and choose who they want to discipline and who they dont want to discipline.. 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. Im very confident that something is going to come of it, he said. HOLYOKE A Holyoke police officer said he has been suspended after posting a lengthy video online alleging widespread corruption and racism within the police department. When the state Legislature passed its police reform bill, state Senate President Karen E. Spilka, D-Ashland, described the legislation as a necessary first step towards achieving systemic change through law enforcement accountability and transparency.. designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated Concepcion said his experience with the HPDs internal affairs system shows that there isnt any accountability within the department. I did exactly what I was trained and paid to do but people on my watch had a problem with that because they like to sleep in their cruisers overnight; they dont want to work.. Not a single person from City Hall or city government reached out at all, he said. The HPDs top brass did not respond to numerous requests for comment on this story. In March, Rafael Roca, who had been a Holyoke police officer since 2015, posted the video to YouTube, where it has since been viewed more than 56,000 times. But the police reform bill changed that, clarifying that those investigations are not personnel records. Ernest Fontaine, Fitchburg State . (WWLP) - Holyoke's Chief of Police responded to the allegations of corruption within the department, made by an officer in a widely-circulated YouTube video. Though he mentioned no names in the video, one incident Roca referred to occurred in September 2011, when police Sgt. HOLYOKE, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Nearly two dozen people have been arrested following an operation in Holyoke that police said is aimed at addressing the needs of the city and its residents. Service, a Creative Commons Who will be eaten first? "We cannot expect people to have respect for law and order until we teach respect to those we The officers on the scene denied that they had drawn their weapons and challenged the extent of the mans injuries; they said he refused to get out of the car and then reached for the center console. Citizens in Holyoke, Colorado should be aware of illegal activities surrounding police brutality among their police departments and take actions against them. When he declined to do so, Roca said he was suspended with pay for failure to obey a direct order on my day off and for violating their social media policy., It goes to show that theyre dirty and they want to cover up the stuff that they do, Roca told the Gazette. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Whether its now or later, well see.. March 15, The HPD is not the only local department that rarely disciplines officers based on civilian complaints. For example, he characterized it as a workplace where now-former Police Chief Manny Febo favorites were not disciplined despite losing weapons and facing restraining orders, according to the accusations. Roca said he retired from the U.S. Marines after a lengthy career in 2016 and pursued his lifelong dream of being a police officer. Reyes the internal affairs officer found the officers actions justified and proper, and consistent with standard protocols for crash-scene response and safety. Roca said he has received support from former co-workers who are scared to speak out and from many others in the city. According to the commissions decision, it had been Rocas first solo patrol in October 2016 when he pulled over a driver who had been driving down the street in the opposite direction. Febo addresses the allegation that minority officers are not given opportunity for specialized assignments, as Roca said in his video that minorities are underrepresented in specialized positions. But now he finds out if he will be charged with misdemeanor furnishing of alcohol and reckless endangerment of a. 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. Holyoke Massachusetts & Pennsylvania Legal Representation. Murphy didnt have to answer to anybody. 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. Read the rules you agree to by using this website in our Terms In one 2011 complaint, a civilian alleged that during a traffic stop that involved Officer Jared Hamel, police held a gun to the civilian's head and knocked him unconscious, after which officers stomped on his face and dislocated his jaw. Holyoke Police Department | Holyoke MA Rafael Roca, 37, uploaded the now viral video early Sunday morning. The father said in his complaint that his boys had been through a lot of trauma made worse by now living in a homeless shelter, and that as a result they didnt always react to what they were told to do. In fact, a year later, Valentin filed a civilian complaint against an HPD officer over his rudeness to her at the scene of a car crash involving her wife treatment Valentin alleged was related to her political stances. Pages 17 Course Hero uses AI to attempt to automatically extract content from documents to surface to you and others so you can study better, e.g., in search results, to enrich docs, and more. if (photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring2) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring3) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring4) > -1) { Last August, Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia hired the New. v. Civil Service . var sellablestring3 = "STAFF FILE PHOTO"; var photocredit = "'GAZETTE FILE PHOTO' 'Holyoke police officer parks in the train station on Main Street on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Months later, on Nov. 10, then acting mayor Terence Murphy followed Pratts recommendation, firing Roca after a city lawyer determined that there was just cause, the Gazette reported. Roca said he hopes the Massachusetts government will audit the department. In the almost 45-minute video, Roca recounted favoritism, covering up lost and stolen weapons and other instances of corruption. In his 2016 study in the journalPolice Quarterly, Terrill and fellow researcher Jason Ingram found that in cities that had police conducting internal investigations, but where an external civilian oversight agency reviewed their decisions, the department was "significantly more likely to sustain complaints." Lorna McMurrey, 27, was filling . The police reform bill also required police departments to turn over data on their internal investigations to the commission, which pledged to make that information public last spring. Instead of being a man and admitting he made a mistake about seeing me with a firearm, he chose to remain silent and never appeared in court.. Roca said a police captain called him about a day after he posted the video. 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. 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. var currentLocation = window.location; To tackle these questions,"I'm a Cop"directly examines the words of READ THE REST, The Boston Globe recently printed an op-ed by former Ithaca, NY mayor Svante Myrick, who talks about his own city's approach to police reform. I stand by the integrity of the men and women of the Holyoke Police Department and I welcome any outside agency that would like to look into any of the alleged allegations from the video, he said in a statement. var currentheadline = document.getElementById("headline").innerText; var photocredit = photocredit.toUpperCase(); During the debate, City Councilor Jos Maldonado Velez referred to the police as a gang., It literally is, he said in the meeting. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, told NEPM that she filed the complaint because she wanted to push back against her constituents dominant perception: that there was no point in filing a complaint against the HPD. (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. Roca said in his report that the driver attempted to back into a state trooper, at which point he fired his gun three times at the driver. . Holyoke Officer Rafael Roca, a former Marine hired in 2016, said in the 43-minute video posted on YouTube that Chief Manny Febo is corrupt and plays favorites, and he argued that members of minority groups are passed over for plum assignments and that discipline is handed out selectively. 540K subscribers in the Bad_Cop_No_Donut community. Graduated from 36th Massachusetts Police Officer . The work of setting up a review board is difficult and time-intensive, Terrill said. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. var photocredit = "'SCREENSHOT/YOUTUBE' 'Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca. Beyond changing the public records law, the 2020 police reform bill also created a new state agency, thePeace Officer Standards and Training Commission, which now tracks police departments internal investigations and can conduct its own preliminary inquiries into alleged misconduct. 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. And I think were allowing a lot of these police departments to be above it.. var sellablestring3 = "STAFF FILE PHOTO"; The police are policing themselves., Maldonado Velez is not the first city councilor who has come under fire from Holyokes police unions. In his own time, he said that he witnessed classmates incarcerated as part of the school-to-prison pipeline.. That is roughly 75 percent of minority officers with eight years or more in specialized assignments, he said. Reyes, Police Chief David Pratt and Capt. Moriarty, the president of the HPDs supervisors union, said at a press conference held specifically to address Maldonado Velezs comments. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected the youngest mayor of Holyoke at age 22. Murphy said that Roca had been on paid leave for eight months, and that the city needed to resolve that matter. One officer was accused of using his siren at a drive-thru window to get his ice cream more quickly. All rights reserved, FIRST ALERT: Storm Hitting Greater Boston Live Radar, Updates. Its not clear and it doesnt exist. 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. tag_id.innerHTML = ''; When presented with NEPMs findings, Maldonado Velez said the lack of discipline resulting from civilian complaints is just not surprising and not unique to Holyoke. In January, Holyoke settled the police brutality suit against the city and officers for $65,000. Whos policing the police? he asked. MASSACHUSETTS-In early March, two police sergeants were suspended without pay for speaking with a reporter about mismanagement, corruption and racism within the Holyoke Police Department, and for providing him with internal documents. tag_id.innerHTML = ''; 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. Febo responded with a statement that noted that, of the total 29 minority officers on the force, there are roughly 75 [percent] of minority officers with [eight] years [of experience] or more who focus on specialized assignments. Of non-minority police officers with eight years or more of experience, 53 percent focus on specialized assignments, according to Febo. 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. Cannabis company Trulieve will pay $14,502 after reaching a settlement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration over the death of an employee who worked at Trulieve's Holyoke cultivation site. Febo said that Roca misportrayed some examples of lost or stolen weapons. He was suspended for violating the departments social media policy, which prohibits officers from criticizing the department on social media platforms. No probable cause, there was no weapons, there was no reason to assume there were weapons., An officer told him to shut my mouth or much more than my rights would be violated, Concepcion wrote in a complaint he later filed with the police department. Skilled in Microsoft Word, Police Procedures, Defensive Tactics, Emergency Management, Law Enforcement, Conflict Resolution and Public Speaking. of Concepcion, who alleged that police unjustifiably yanked him out of his car at gunpoint in 2016, said he attempted to file a complaint against the officers that day, but police at the station told him they had no complaint forms on hand. Roca said he expected to face discipline after posting the video but was invested in calling attention to what he saw as problems within the department. Two officers did respond to say that department policies prohibit them from speaking to the press without permission from higher-ups. In March, Roca was placed on suspension after his video, which has over 56,000 views, accused officers of false overtime pay, protecting each other from punishment after misconduct and creating a culture of racism and favoritism, especially with promotions. It's Boston local news in one concise, fun and informative email. Prosecutors pressed charges against him until the day he showed up for his trial, when he said they informed him they were dropping the case. Not one time did they respond to a call, not one time were they on the radio, he said. Pictured above: thumbnail of the Youtube video posted by Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca. We dont have that today.. 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. The complaints allege HPD officers engaged in misconduct ranging from brutality and bullying to discourtesy and dishonesty. The Hampden District Attorney's Office told NEPM it was unable to confirm this report or comment on it without more information, like the name of the defendant, which was redacted from the public records response. Rafael Roca, 37,. In an interview with NEPM, Maldonado Velez said his critique of the police department is not about individual officers but rather the system of policing. Roca said he has already appealed that decision to the states Civil Service Commission. NEPM has obtained a decades worth of civilian complaints against HPD officers and the departments own internal investigations of them. Febo said a detectives vehicle was broken into and taken from that vehicle was 2 ballistic vests with 2 magazines in the pouches, along with some K9 gear, and a first aid bag. Some, but not all, of those items were later found in a vehicle stolen from Granby that was recovered in Hartford, according to Febo. 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). //LBtag_id.innerHTML = ''; I think the challenge with that is in most jurisdictions that have a civilian review board or some version of that, its very rare for that board to have investigatory powers, Terrill said. Roca also said he wasnt surprised he was fired, but expressed disappointment that no city, state or federal officials fully investigated his allegations, according to the Gazette. Roca also took issue with the fact that a Nov. 5 hearing on his case took place at City Hall without him. program Officers have. If youre in the police department, you have to obey orders.. 'Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca alleges there iscorruption and racism in the Holyoke Police Department. 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. He also mentioned that he was fired right before Joshua Garcia was sworn in as Holyokes mayor on Monday. He said the promoted individual allegedly lost two weapons as an officer. He went on to say that one weapon had allegedly been lost and another had been stolen from the officers home, an incident which Roca claimed was covered up.. In August, the city of Holyoke hired a firm to audit its police department, including its internal affairs processes. The man, whose name the department redacted, said Leahy accused him of raising a handgun as he crossed the street in front of Leahys cruiser. During the mayoral campaign, Garcias opponent, At-large City Councilor Michael Sullivan, responded to the Gazettes reporting by calling for an audit of the police departments handling of state and federal grant programs, calling the use of overtime excessive. Garcia responded to say that he, too, would support an audit. In an interview last week, Garcia said he planned to follow through with an assessment of the police department, later adding: This is not an investigation, its an assessment.. var sellablestring = "GAZETTE STAFF"; That transparency has been slow to arrive, however. Roca responded saying he already appealed the decision to the Massachusetts Civil Service Commission. Tensions soared last fall between some Holyoke residents and the HPD amid a debate in the City Council over the departments desire to purchase the controversial gunfire-location technology ShotSpotter. John Hart was suspended and fined for losing a department-issued sniper rifle. The rollout hasnot been smooth, with commissioners sparring overinternal rulesandavailable resources. The five-year Holyoke Police officer who posted the video, Rafael Roca, explained in the beginning, that he wanted to "expose the corruption and the lies and the injustice" he felt was taking place within the department. Schedule a Free Consultation Fill out your information below: Law Offices of Allyn & Ball, P.C. 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. Later that evening, however, Roca and another officer saw the fire department lieutenant drive by in his car again at high speed. The police, for me, was used as a reminder to stay in my place. Published: 11/16/2021 9:42:49 PM HOLYOKE Last week, the city's acting mayor fired a police officer who earlier this year posted a viral video on social media alleging corruption and. A newly released independent audit of the Holyoke Police Department found the HPD poses a "substantial risk" to the city it serves. Schedule an appointment online for a New LTC / Firearms license. In 1894 the New York State Senate launched the first comprehensive investigation of corruption in the NYPD. Position Type:Staff Full-time. 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. One of our detectives who is assigned to a task force had his task force vehicle broken into, he said. "I'm here to make this video to expose the corruption, and the lies, and the injustice that is taking place within the police department in Holyoke, Massachusetts," he says at the start of the video. Some people who filed a complaint with the HPD said that officers actions impacted their lives long after the alleged misconduct took place. delays new police misconduct database, Dusty Christensen, New England Public Media. Now, he said, one of his sons was on pain medication because of the force Romero used to arrest him. 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. In other words, having the power to question the suspect, having the power to question the officer.. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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.. That outcome police officers facing no discipline after a civilian alleges wrongdoing is hardly unique to Concepcions case. HOLYOKE Last week, the citys acting mayor fired a police officer who earlier this year posted a viral video on social media alleging corruption and racism within the Holyoke Police Department. var sellablestring2 = "STAFF PHOTO"; The handwritten log, which tracks civilian and internal complaints against officers and their conclusions, features two entries for Roca. HOLYOKE, Mass. Current Police Chief David Pratt suspended Roca in March and then recommended that the mayor terminate Roca. Febo, according to Roca, allegedly promoted a friend to the position of provisional lieutenant. 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.. The chief did, however, address several of the allegations Roca made in the video. Valentin, who went on to work as a staffer for U.S. Sens. When told of NEPMs findings that only three officers had civilian complaints sustained against them over a decade, Valentin said shes not surprised. We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. Febo, who plans to retire in July, said he has nothing to hide. var currentLocation = window.location; In the video, Roca also alleged that department leadership has covered up the facts surrounding several instances when weapons have gone missing from the department.