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. 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. . In response to a public records request, the HPD has now turned over the 69 investigations it conducted from 2010 through 2019 into civilian complaints. var sellablestring4 = "GAZETTE FILE PHOTO"; Uploaded By Greenpalace1. He said: The chief saw your video and hes ordering you to take it down, Roca said. But the police reform bill changed that, clarifying that those investigations are not personnel records. As of 2019, the estimated population was 40,117. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. He said that Febo and others have stepped in to prevent him from getting jobs with other police departments. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. How do cops view themselves and their work? 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. Roca said he also plans to file a lawsuit over his treatment. If you go behind the curtain of law enforcement, oftentimes youll hear officers say the surest way not to get a complaint is not to interact with the public, he said. Project Advances, What Happened to the Money?' 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. He also alleged gross negligence by Febo and his "favorites.". So far, the commission has only suspended 19 officers statewide because they were either arrested, charged or indicted on a felony charge. Concepcion said his experience with the HPDs internal affairs system shows that there isnt any accountability within the department. 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. HOLYOKE, Mass. And cities where complaints of police misconduct are rarely ruled in favor of civilians could benefit from creating an oversight structure to independently investigate these complaints. Graduated from 36th Massachusetts Police Officer . Hours per week:37.5 Weeks per year:52. Hed be gone by then.. 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. Holyoke Police Department | Holyoke MA Police Capt. 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. var photocredit = photocredit.toUpperCase(); He alleged that later, somebody who had been arrested tipped police off to the rifles location in an effort to receive leniency in court. "We cannot expect people to have respect for law and order until we teach respect to those we He has since been suspended for refusing to take the video down. But now he finds out if he will be charged with misdemeanor furnishing of alcohol and reckless endangerment of a. Among Roca's more generalized allegations, he called out the department for: a. of 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.. March 9, 2021. The report, which Roca shared with the Gazette, was completed on July 2. He also made the case that his statements were on matters of public concern; a Holyoke Police Department rule bars criticism of the department except on matters of public concern.. 8. v. Civil Service . His video, posted Sunday, has been viewed 27,000 times. 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. All rights reserved, FIRST ALERT: Storm Hitting Greater Boston Live Radar, Updates. 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. Reyes, Police Chief David Pratt and Capt. Mayor Alex Morse said in a statement that he could not comment on a personnel matter. 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.. Rocas video has reached over 50,000 views. He was suspended for violating the departments social media policy, which prohibits officers from criticizing the department on social media platforms. He said he is disappointed with how city officials reacted to his allegations. In his video, Roca references alleged abuse of overtime pay. I stand behind the video and what I said in it.. NEPM also obtained a handwritten log tracking all 156 investigations of its own officers the department conducted during those 10 years, including those initiated not by civilian complaints but by superior officers. The attorney generals office declined to comment on Tuesday. 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. program Ill probably lose my job, but Im good. Listen var sellablestring3 = "STAFF FILE PHOTO"; 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.. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. You have been subscribed to WBUR Today. So Romero arrested him for assault and battery on a police officer. 540K subscribers in the Bad_Cop_No_Donut community. 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. Lorna McMurrey, 27, was filling . 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. In 1894 the New York State Senate launched the first comprehensive investigation of corruption in the NYPD. The chief did, however, address several of the allegations Roca made in the video. var currentLocation = window.location; Growing up Puerto Rican in the Flats neighborhood of Holyoke one of the citys majority-Hispanic lower wards Maldonado Velez said he heard plenty of stories from those whom that system harmed. He said that is because he is a proactive police officer who tries to engage in crime fighting., I was a very proactive officer, I would do my job, I tried to do traffic stops, he told the Gazette. It was not there to help me.. 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. 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. }. Rafael Roca, a former US Marine who became a Holyoke, MA police officer in 2016, released this 43-minute video on Sunday exposing the corruption in his department. One officer was accused of using his siren at a drive-thru window to get his ice cream more quickly. He was deployed in 2009-2010 to Iraq where he assisted military police . Play all audios: Loading. In January, Holyoke settled the police brutality suit against the city and officers for $65,000. This story is a production of the New England News Collaborative. 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. 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. if (photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring2) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring3) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring4) > -1) { More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23, Holyoke Police Officer Rafael Roca suspended after posting viral video alleging corruption at the department, Because of this video I will probably be fired: Holyoke officer alleges police corruption in viral video, Holyokes fiscal future appears bright as Joshua Garcia enters office. In a legal opinion sent to Murphy, which Roca provided to the Gazette, Assistant City Solicitor Kathleen Degnan said that Rocas public statements were not protected by the First Amendment, and therefore the police chiefs order for him to remove the video was lawful. 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. 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 LBtag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkLBRocaHolyokeFiring-hg-111721,ph1'); Three of those officers claimed more than 800 overtime hours that year, and another claimed more than 1,200 hours. Thats according to William Terrill, a professor at Arizona State University's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. var sellablestring = "GAZETTE STAFF"; Roca, a five-year veteran of the police force who served in the U.S. Marines before that, said he refused to remove the video upon Febos orders on Sunday. '"; Work Schedule:Monday through Friday Department Summary & Job Purpose: The Assistant Vice President for Civil Rights and Title IX Coordinator is a key leader of the College's equity and compliance work and an essential member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team centered around creating an inclusive campus community . His video, posted Sunday, has been viewed 27,000 times. All rights reserved (About Us). The HPD is not the only local department that rarely disciplines officers based on civilian complaints. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. var sellablestring = "GAZETTE STAFF"; var sellablestring2 = "STAFF PHOTO"; var photocredit = photocredit.toUpperCase(); The work of setting up a review board is difficult and time-intensive, Terrill said. And he said that when he would leave the station during those three weeks, police would pull his car over. Service, a Creative Commons Daily Hampshire Gazette. SCREENSHOT/YOUTUBE Roca said he was suspended for violating the departments social media policy, which bars officers from criticizing the department on social media platforms. var sellablestring2 = "STAFF PHOTO"; Roca, however, claimed that somebody stole the gun from Harts house during a party. She testified she complained about her sons beating, was assured the matter was being investigated but was never instructed on what other steps she could take to formally complain against police.. When. 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. Holyoke Police Officer Rafael Roca suspended after posting viral video alleging corruption at the department 'Because of this video I will probably be fired': Holyoke officer alleges. 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. Rafael Roca, 37, uploaded the now viral video early Sunday morning. At the end of the video, Roca went on to tell viewers to seek accountability from elected officials.
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