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. Roca was immediately placed on administrative leave as the department conducted an internal investigation. HOLYOKE A Holyoke police officer recently released a YouTube video accusing the Holyoke Police Department of corruption. They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system, Roca said during an interview at the time. They would just tell me to just stop doing what I was doing, its not going to go nowhere, its only going to cause me more hardships and problems, Concepcion said. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. Carla Sinclair 11:00 am Tue Mar 9, 2021. 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. Mr. Lorna McMurrey, 27, was filling . And often, legal protections and collective bargaining agreements with police unions prevent those boards from interviewing officers, he added. Read the rules you agree to by using this website in our Terms Now that Roca has filed an appeal, the Civil Service Commission will decide whether the termination holds up. In it, he alleged that superior officers falsify overtime pay, have protected each other from punishment for misconduct and have fostered a culture of favoritism and racism when it comes to promotion. 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.. The Holyoke Police Department is working very hard to reduce crime and impact violence in this industrious Western Massachusetts city.
Of those 18 officers, eight made more than $200,000. 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. Now, he said, one of his sons was on pain medication because of the force Romero used to arrest him. Despite the high Puerto Rican population in Holyoke, Roca said there are not enough police officers from the community. All rights reserved, FIRST ALERT: Storm Hitting Greater Boston Live Radar, Updates. But some will be missing, Mass. The handwritten log, which tracks civilian and internal complaints against officers and their conclusions, features two entries for Roca. As of 2019, the estimated population was 40,117. So far, the commission has only suspended 19 officers statewide because they were either arrested, charged or indicted on a felony charge. The driver, who officers alleged smelled of alcohol and had slurred speech, turned out to be a lieutenant with the Holyoke Fire Department. I said Im sorry but, respectfully, I refuse to take it down.. The HPDs log of complaints and internal investigations contains no evidence the department ever opened an internal investigation into the incident. Roca also claimed in his video that recently, a police officer had his car stolen with guns and equipment inside. He alleged that the car was found in Hartford, but the guns and equipment were missing. Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca. There was no set up.. 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. The mayors office said it expects the report to be completed in the coming days. Though he mentioned no names in the video, one incident Roca referred to occurred in September 2011, when police Sgt. He said that Febo and others have stepped in to prevent him from getting jobs with other police departments. When. var sellablestring3 = "STAFF FILE PHOTO"; His video, posted Sunday, has been viewed 27,000 times. 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. The other officer was chosen specifically due to his extensive knowledge and expertise in firearms, he is assigned to the ATF task force, he said. Because Roca has filed an appeal, the state Civil Service Commission will now determine whether his discipline will stand. Murphy didnt have to answer to anybody. var sellablestring3 = "STAFF FILE PHOTO"; program '"; There are only two officers in this group that are assigned to specialized units. Bryan Custadio, Fall River Police Department. Daily Hampshire Gazette Contests & Promotions, Daily Hampshire Gazette Evening Top Reads, Daily Hampshire Gazette Weekly Top Stories, Daily Hampshire Gazette Dining & Entertainment, Support the
How do cops view themselves and their work? I stand behind the video and what I said in it.. Febo, according to Roca, allegedly promoted a friend to the position of provisional lieutenant. "I'll probably lose my job, but I'm good. Febo said that Roca misportrayed some examples of lost or stolen weapons. He also mentioned that he was fired right before Joshua Garcia was sworn in as Holyokes mayor on Monday. 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.. The youths, Reyes report alleged, were Blood gang members who were under surveillance for their possible involvement in a shooting involving a school bus on the previous day. He said the cars possibly armed occupants made furtive movements and refused to show their hands, and that the officers on scene denied making the remarks Concepcion alleged. //var LBtag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkLBRocaHolyokeFiring-hg-111721,ph1'); 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.. Yeah they didnt waste any time. 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. He also said that academics have struggled to answer the question of whether a complaint against an officer represents a problem officer, a productive officer or some combination of the two. . The man alleged there was a problem with the arrest report Leahy later filed, saying it contained outright lies and falsehoods. He said he never had a gun and never even stepped into the street. Reyes the internal affairs officer found the officers actions justified and proper, and consistent with standard protocols for crash-scene response and safety. And thats the ultimate way of holding police accountable from the commissions perspective.. Thats according to William Terrill, a professor at Arizona State University's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. School Holyoke Community College; Course Title ENGLISH 1301; Type. Moriarty, the president of the HPDs supervisors union, said at a press conference held specifically to address Maldonado Velezs comments. 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. Pyle represented the WorcesterTelegram & Gazettein the newspapers 2018 lawsuit against the city of Worcester over its police departments illegal withholding of misconduct records. GAZETTE FILE PHOTO Garcia said that a sub-group from the city's Police Relations Advisory Committee reviewed several consulting firms' proposals to conduct the audit. The report, which Roca shared with the Gazette, was completed on July 2. The mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts has appointed a new police chief who will be the first Latino to lead the department. There were obviously violations of police procedures, Murphy said. The work of setting up a review board is difficult and time-intensive, Terrill said. Holyoke officer alleges corruption within, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Holyoke police officer alleges corruption within department, Many ambulances roll for excessive drinking at UMass Amhersts Blarney Blowout, Vermont bishop testifies against clergy reporting bill, All about eagle nest cameras in Massachusetts, Massachusetts charity helps save thousands of animals in need in war-torn Ukraine, 'Significant burst' of heavy snow possible for areas of Massachusetts, up to 12 inches potential in spots, Alex Murdaugh killed wife, son to buy time, prosecutor says, Boston employee payroll data shows more big-money employees than ever. The HPD is not the only local department that rarely disciplines officers based on civilian complaints. //LBtag_id.innerHTML = ''; A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected the youngest mayor of Holyoke at age 22. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising delays new police misconduct database, Dusty Christensen, New England Public Media. 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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Roca mentioned the incident in his video over the weekend. HOLYOKE, Mass. We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. "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. Sgts. In August, the city of Holyoke hired a firm to audit its police department, including its internal affairs processes. 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. I think it just really supports the theory of nothing is going to happen, nothing is going to change, she said. Youre immediately going into this intimidating environment and youre having to go up to the desk sergeant asking for this, and then youre put on ice and made to sit there, Terrill 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.. var sellablestring4 = "GAZETTE FILE PHOTO"; 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. 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. Roca, however, claimed that somebody stole the gun from Harts house during a party. 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. That decision was made after aHolyoke police officer publicly alleged corruptionwithin the HPD and aDaily Hampshire Gazetteinvestigation found whatsome characterized as excessive overtimein the department, including among some of its highest-paid officers. And I think were allowing a lot of these police departments to be above it.. I stand behind the video and what I said in it.. if (photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring2) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring3) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring4) > -1) { When you speak up and when you expose corruption, thats what they do. 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. In 2016, Irving Concepcion says the Holyoke police pulled him over with their guns drawn, yanked him out of his car and slammed him down on the hood. The complaints allege HPD officers engaged in misconduct ranging from brutality and bullying to discourtesy and dishonesty. HOLYOKE, Mass One person was killed during a shooting at the Holyoke Mall Saturday night, according to the Hampden County District Attorney's office. 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. license except where otherwise noted. . 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. After Customers Paid Large Deposits for Home Projects, Contractor Files for Bankruptcy, How Much Snow Has Fallen in Your Area So Far, The House Where JonBenet Ramsey Was Found Dead Is Listed for Sale at Nearly $7M, FIRST ALERT: Wintry Mix Keeps Falling as Storm Hits New England (Live Radar). var sellablestring3 = "STAFF FILE PHOTO"; Murphy said that neither the district attorneys office nor the attorney generals office ever spoke to him about any investigation of Rocas allegations. Internal affairs is corrupt as can be, Roca said in his video. This story has been updated to include a statement from Chief Manny Febo which he sent to the Gazette midday on Tuesday. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Listen 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). A 2020 city report of the top 100 salaries in the city shows that, including school staff, 18 out of the top 20 highest paid city employees that year were police officers. 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. He saidthat ultimately there was sufficient cause to terminate Roca. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. var sellablestring2 = "STAFF PHOTO"; 8. And the department has yet to turn over a single investigation initiated by department supervisors or other agencies, which include allegations of everything from untruthfulness to an intercepted phone conversation revealing possible misconduct from the Hampden County jail, according to the HPDs log. 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. Police Capt. He said minority candidates get passed over for top positions, as detectives or supervisors. When Romero put his hand on the boys shoulder and told him to go back to his classroom, Reyes said the boy smacked the officer's hand and swore at him. Whos policing the police? he asked. Of the remaining 34 non-minority officers in this group, 18 are in a specialized assignment. 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. NEPM also contacted all of the police officers mentioned in this story via email or phone. A newly released independent audit of the Holyoke Police Department finds the HPD poses a "substantial risk" to the city it serves. 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. "Holyoke has always been known as the Paper City. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. NEPM has obtained a decades worth of civilian complaints against HPD officers and the departments own internal investigations of them. Roca claimed that Manny Febo, the first Latinx police chief in Holyoke, has targeted him and other employees by refusing them positions and recognition for their work. It was originally published by New England Public Media. (WWLP) - The Holyoke Fire Department was sent to Hampshire and Maple Streets for a car accident on Friday. On March 7, Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca posted a video on YouTube alleging racism and corruption by the Holyoke Police Department. Suspected. In other words, having the power to question the suspect, having the power to question the officer.. 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. 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. Consultoria de Marketing e Publicidade holyoke police corruption. This video posted online by Former Holyoke Police Officer Rafael Roca may well have been lost to history and future litigants contending with the police misconduct in Western MA if it had not been rescued by the Internet Archive (which is currently fighting off a vexatious lawsuit filed by a greedy publishing monopolist lobbying group which wants to burn down the Internet's proverbial 'Library . Roca said he hopes the Massachusetts government will audit the department. 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. He alleged that later, somebody who had been arrested tipped police off to the rifles location in an effort to receive leniency in court. A newly released independent audit of the Holyoke Police Department found the HPD poses a "substantial risk" to the city it serves. . I think the common response is, Why bother? she said. March 15,
Reyes ultimately exonerated Romero. Becoming a police officer was his "life long dream" but that dream was "quickly affected" and "hurt" by the corruption and racism of police officers, which "goes back to as long as anyone can remember. In my view, the violation of Rule 3 of the Holyoke Police Department rules alone is just cause for the five-day suspension and termination because police officers must follow lawful orders, Degnan wrote. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. And he said that when he would leave the station during those three weeks, police would pull his car over. He was suspended for violating the departments social media policy, which prohibits officers from criticizing the department on social media platforms. "Yeah, they didn't waste any time. The classic response to demonstrated police corruption Step 1: Shoot the messenger. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. That outcome police officers facing no discipline after a civilian alleges wrongdoing is hardly unique to Concepcions case. Academic studies have shown its fairly common for police departments to sustain a small percentage of civilian complaints. 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. In the almost 45-minute video, Roca recounted favoritism, covering up lost and stolen weapons and other instances of corruption. Holyoke Police Department killed 1 person from 2013-21. Coughlin has been living large on his State Police pension of $131,961 a year. Holyoke police officer parks in the train station on Main Street on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. That decision was made after a Holyoke police officer publicly alleged corruption within the HPD and a Daily Hampshire Gazette investigation found what some characterized as "excessive. Holyoke police officers arrived at the mall just before 7:00 p.m. for a report of shots fired. 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.. Holyoke Police Department Friday: 03/25/2022 Juvenile (16) from Springfield is charged with: Possession of Class A Possession of Class A to Distribute Possession of Ammunition without a FID. tag_id.innerHTML = ''; I plan to fight this to the end. Roca said a police captain called him about a day after he posted the video. Compare the best Police Misconduct lawyers near Holyoke, MA today. 540K subscribers in the Bad_Cop_No_Donut community. //var LBtag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkLBHolyokePD-hg031021,ph1'); Murphy said in a phone interview Monday that he felt no pressure from anyone to terminate Roca before he left office. Valentin, who went on to work as a staffer for U.S. Sens. He added, I want to [assure] 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.. Springfield this past year reinstituted a civilian Board of Police Commissioners to oversee the department and decide on officer discipline. HOLYOKE, Mass. HOLYOKE - A Holyoke police officer recently released a YouTube video accusing the Holyoke Police Department of corruption. Manuel Febo, a Holyoke native who grew up in the. John Hart was suspended and fined for losing a department-issued sniper rifle. 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 Rafael Roca alleges there iscorruption and racism in the Holyoke Police Department. But that work hasnt fully gotten off the ground yet. All rights reserved (About Us). Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Isaac Holyoke, director of communications at CleanSpark, said the shift made it easier for employees to communicate with each other and that employees value "autonomy and flexibility." "People are used to being at home when they can go on business when they need to, and we have kept that culture here in the office," Holyoke said. In 2014, the president of the patrol-officer union wrote a scathing letter to the City Council denouncing Councilors Rebecca Lisi and Jossie Valentin for marching in a Black Lives Matter protest where he said some protesters used anti-police rhetoric., Since that moment, it was very evident to me that some members of the Holyoke Police Department were not happy with me and with Rebecca, Valentin told NEPM in an interview from Puerto Rico, where she now lives. This story is a production of the New England News Collaborative. None of them provided comment on the civilian complaints they faced or the departments investigation of them, and the heads of both the patrol officers union and supervisors union did not respond to questions from NEPM. They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system, Roca told Masslive.com on Monday. Holyoke St. Patrick's Committee holds 67th Grand Video / Feb 18, 2023 / 10:41 PM EST The 70th annual Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade is now nearly a month away and at the Log Cabin Saturday . Roca said that as a result, supervisors have given him a bad image that has influenced others in the department. Use our free directory to instantly connect with verified Police Misconduct attorneys. Notes. ", 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.
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