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. Police Capt. Pyle represented the WorcesterTelegram & Gazettein the newspapers 2018 lawsuit against the city of Worcester over its police departments illegal withholding of misconduct records. That transparency has been slow to arrive, however. Here is the list of officers: Devon Bones, Holyoke Police Department. Who will be eaten first? He said they did the same to a few teenagers in the car with him, taking one of them to the ground, putting a knee to his back and arresting him. It should be known as Corrupt City," he said in the video. var sellablestring3 = "STAFF FILE PHOTO"; . At the end of the video, Roca went on to tell viewers to seek accountability from elected officials. That is roughly 53 percent of non-minority officers with eight years or more who are assigned to specialized assignments., Additional he said there were 38 officers total with six years or less of full-time experience, Of those 38, 17 are minority officers. if (photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring2) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring3) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring4) > -1) { //var LBtag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkLBRocaHolyokeFiring-hg-111721,ph1'); He says he was consistently singled out for vocalizing his opposition to the police chief, made to repeat pieces of training and attacked via email for not supporting one supervisors protest against police reform. Former Brockton RMV manager, driving school owner charged by U.S. Attorney with giving passing test scores to people who failed, Complete Boston payroll for 2022: Your Tax Dollars at Work, Boston drug trafficker set to do 11 years in prison, give up Louis Vuitton bags, feds say, Union drive: Uber, Lyft drivers rally for right to unionize, Boston sees first open race for Suffolk Superior civil court clerk magistrate in nearly 50 years, High school tournaments: Winchester stuns No. 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. Current Police Chief David Pratt suspended Roca in March and then recommended that the mayor terminate Roca. 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. 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. var sellablestring4 = "GAZETTE FILE PHOTO"; 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 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. Office Location: 57 Suffolk St. Suite 200 Holyoke, MA 01040 Call Us Officer Leahy made up a substantial portion of his report, the man wrote. Roca said a police captain called him about a day after he posted the video. 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. 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. Roca had argued that the citys social media policy illegally infringed on his First Amendment rights, and that his statements were true and therefore were not defamatory. Roca said that the department is rife with racism. 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. I said Im sorry but, respectfully, I refuse to take it down.. (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. "Yeah, they didn't waste any time. 2021 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. Within the department, he said he had been shamed. Some people who filed a complaint with the HPD said that officers actions impacted their lives long after the alleged misconduct took place. designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated Two officers did respond to say that department policies prohibit them from speaking to the press without permission from higher-ups. 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. I kept yelling that they were violating our rights and they continued to search my vehicle against my will. This story is a production of the New England News Collaborative. Febo, who plans to retire in July, said he has nothing to hide. 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. He said he felt as though for too long officers have been afraid to speak up and wanted this to change. 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. 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. Valentin, who went on to work as a staffer for U.S. Sens. Because when you speak up and you expose corruption, he said in the video, thats what they do.. Not one time did they respond to a call, not one time were they on the radio, he said. Daily Hampshire Gazette. 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. 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. }. . I already knew they were going to wait until the last minute, he told the newspaper. Ultimately, police found the weapon in February 2012 while Morse was riding along with officers on duty. 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. Murphy said in a phone interview Monday that he felt no pressure from anyone to terminate Roca before he left office. Amid Pandemic, Boston Loses Title as Country's Worst City for Traffic, Biden Hopes to Boost Offshore Wind as Mass. Garcia said that a sub-group from the city's Police Relations Advisory Committee reviewed several consulting firms' proposals to conduct the audit. I stand behind the video and what I said in it.. I say what I mean, and I mean what I say, Roca said in March. 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. Now, he said, one of his sons was on pain medication because of the force Romero used to arrest him. March 9, 2021. He also mentioned that he was fired right before Joshua Garcia was sworn in as Holyokes mayor on Monday. Hours per week:37.5 Weeks per year:52. I talked with two police chiefs in Minnesota about what happened when Tyre Nichols was stopped by Memphis police officers and fatally beaten last month. Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca alleges there iscorruption and racism in the Holyoke Police Department. He was reelected three times, with his final term expiring in January 2022. Roca said that as a result, supervisors have given him a bad image that has influenced others in the 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. Its a problem within our commonwealth and it will continue to be a problem until we have an administrative agency that has teeth, that has enforcement power, that can punish municipalities and agencies when they withhold records improperly, Pyle said. 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. Speaking to the Gazette, he alleged he has worked on grant-funded shifts during which supervisors who were supposed to be working were nowhere to be found the entire shift.. In August, the city of Holyoke hired a firm to audit its police department, including its internal affairs processes. 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. Contained within the civilian complaints against HPD officers are allegations ranging from the mundane to the criminal, including accusations that officers violently beat suspects, swore at civilians, used racial slurs, fabricated charges and abused their power. Listen The complaints allege HPD officers engaged in misconduct ranging from brutality and bullying to discourtesy and dishonesty. N/A civilian complaints of police misconduct. Febo did not use any names in his statement, but addressed an incident 10 years ago where rifles were lost. (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 . I stand behind the video and what I said in it. He was also advised that he is not to respond to his own complaints while off duty., Lastly, Febo responded to Rocas claim that minority officers are not given opportunities for specialized assignments. Rafael Roca, 37, uploaded the now viral video early Sunday morning. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Febo said that Roca misportrayed some examples of lost or stolen weapons. Last August, Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia hired the New. var sellablestring3 = "STAFF FILE PHOTO"; 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. I already knew they were going to wait until the last minute, he said. 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. Terrill said that often, complaints arent sustained because civilians have a misperception about what is, and isnt, a violation of department policy. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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.
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