HOLYOKE, Mass. He saidthat ultimately there was sufficient cause to terminate Roca. The police, for me, was used as a reminder to stay in my place. Law Offices of Allyn and Ball | Lawyers in MA and PA Areas of Practice Not one time did they respond to a call, not one time were they on the radio, he said. Current Police Chief David Pratt suspended Roca in March and then recommended that the mayor terminate Roca. "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. designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated That is roughly 75% of minority officers with 8 years or more [of experience] in specialized assignments. Febos statement added, The Holyoke Police Department has a Chief, 2 Lieutenants, and 4 Sergeants who are minority in the department command staff.. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. On Nov. 10, then acting mayor Terence Murphy followed that recommendation after a city lawyer determined there was just cause for firing Roca. 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 second, by the Firearm Review Board, lists Roca as exonerated.. At least 85,000 law enforcement officers across the USA have been investigated or disciplined for misconduct over the past decade, an investigation by USA TODAY Network found. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. I dont think the mayors office is the right place to do a criminal investigation of the police, Murphy said when asked whether the city had investigated Rocas claims. 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. Holyoke Officer Refuses to Remove Video Alleging Corruption - The Daily Dot tag_id.innerHTML = ' Buy this Image'; 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.. Of those 18 officers, eight made more than $200,000. The rollout hasnot been smooth, with commissioners sparring overinternal rulesandavailable resources. Concepcion alleged that he returned again and again for hours at a time until an HPD supervisor finally interviewed him three weeks later. One person sent to hospital after car crash in Holyoke Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. 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. 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. Ernest Fontaine, Fitchburg State . The chief did, however, address several of the allegations Roca made in the video. Graduated from 36th Massachusetts Police Officer . Image courtesy by Kate Turner 21. 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. The report, which Roca shared with the Gazette, was completed on July 2. We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. 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. The attorney generals office declined to comment on Tuesday. If you need to reach our office by phone, contact us at 413-538-7118. Holyoke Police Department | Boing Boing Reyes the internal affairs officer found the officers actions justified and proper, and consistent with standard protocols for crash-scene response and safety. That transparency has been slow to arrive, however. Massachusetts Officer Alleges Corruption Within Department A former military police officer, Terrill has for many years researched civilian complaints against police officers in cities across the country, including a2016 study that looked at departmentsin eight different cities. His video, posted Sunday, has been viewed 27,000 times. One complaint for rudeness was not sustained by an investigation. 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. var currentheadline = document.getElementById("headline").innerText; Here is the list of officers: Devon Bones, Holyoke Police Department. . Officers have. He said that Febo and others have stepped in to prevent him from getting jobs with other police departments. Three of those officers claimed more than 800 overtime hours that year, and another claimed more than 1,200 hours. 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. That part of the commissions work has yet to materialize either. 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.. It's Boston local news in one concise, fun and informative email. Another was accused of sexual assault while he was off duty. I stand behind the video and what I said in it. Listen Roca said he was suspended for violating the departments social media policy, which bars officers from criticizing the department on social media platforms. 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. But he said other studies have found that civilian review boards have a minimal effect on accountability. HOLYOKE, Mass. While on the ground, [redacted] placed his hands under him refusing to place his hands behind him forcing Officer Romero to again employ more force to force his hands behind him, Reyes wrote. Police Capt. 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. Carla Sinclair 11:00 am Tue Mar 9, 2021. Coughlin has been living large on his State Police pension of $131,961 a year. In his video, Roca references alleged abuse of overtime pay. 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. Alex Morse - Wikipedia 8. Uploaded By Greenpalace1. var photocredit = "'GAZETTE FILE PHOTO' 'Holyoke police officer parks in the train station on Main Street on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. 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 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. var currentLocation = window.location; As for Roca, he said he doesnt regret posting the video or making the allegations. Holyoke Police Department | Holyoke MA 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. A newly released independent audit of the Holyoke Police Department finds the HPD poses a "substantial risk" to the city it serves. MUGSHOTS: Nearly two dozen arrested in Holyoke during high - WWLP Hed be gone by then.. 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. March 15, 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. Holyoke Police Department | Holyoke MA - Facebook They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system," Roca said on Monday,according to MassLive. Despite the high Puerto Rican population in Holyoke, Roca said there are not enough police officers from the community. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising 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. 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. The handwritten log, which tracks civilian and internal complaints against officers and their conclusions, features two entries for Roca. Joshua Garcia was sworn in as Holyokes 45th mayor on Monday. They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system, Roca toldMasslive.comon Monday. 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. 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. [Deleted/Censored Video] Holyoke, MA Policeman w/ Integrity Fired For 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. Whether its now or later, well see.. Hours per week:37.5 Weeks per year:52. 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. 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. Police Corruption Holyoke, MA (not me in video btw. I'm just a Concepcion is not the first to allege that the HPD resisted taking his complaint. Holyoke Police Chief Manny Febo fact-checks allegations in suspended var currentLocation = window.location; 'Officer shuffle': Some ousted cops find jobs at new departments in Mass. holyoke police corruption - marketingepublicidadereal.com.br But that work hasnt fully gotten off the ground yet. Febo also issued a statement on the matter, and said while he would not be commenting on the internal personnel matter that is ongoing, he did take the opportunity to address some of the allegations and give facts., Febo said with regard to the allegation that the department covered up stolen and/or lost rifles, the incident in question took place 10 years ago and was fully investigated by [the] previous chief, discipline meted out, and every step was reported publicly at that time., Additionally Febo referenced the claim regarding a detective that had his vehicle and weapon stolen, which was covered up. He alleged that later, somebody who had been arrested tipped police off to the rifles location in an effort to receive leniency in court. v. Civil Service . (WWLP) - The Holyoke Fire Department was sent to Hampshire and Maple Streets for a car accident on Friday. 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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. license except where otherwise noted. He expressed frustration that former Mayor Alex Morse did not do enough to address issues of racism during his tenure. used triad trailer for sale. "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. Records obtained under new Mass. law show Holyoke police dismiss nearly Ultimately, police found the weapon in February 2012 while Morse was riding along with officers on duty. 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 another case filed in 2018, a city resident wrote on their complaint form: It shouldnt take over an hour to get this paperwork to file a complaint., In 2017, former Holyoke resident Janette Hernandez Pagan sued the city, claiming HPD officers beat her 12-year-old son unconscious in 2014. That outcome police officers facing no discipline after a civilian alleges wrongdoing is hardly unique to Concepcions case. The Holyoke Police Department is working very hard to reduce crime and impact violence in this industrious Western Massachusetts city. Murphy reportedly said he felt no pressure to fire Roca before he left office. The Appellant left the Holyoke Police Station at approximately 11:00 p.m. and proceeded to the detail in his personal vehicle by means of Southampton Road. When. 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. Use our free directory to instantly connect with verified Police Misconduct attorneys. And he said that when he would leave the station during those three weeks, police would pull his car over. The reality is my community policing cops got a tip and they followed up on it, Neiswanger told The Republican at the time. Whos policing the police? he asked. Holyoke Police Officer Rafael Roca Fired Over Video Accusing Department Of Corruption And Racism November 23, 2021 | No Comments Last week, Holyoke's acting mayor fired Rafael Roca, a police officer who posted a video to YouTube making allegations of corruption and racism within the Holyoke Police Department, Daily Hampshire Gazette reported. In other words, having the power to question the suspect, having the power to question the officer.. Reyes, Police Chief David Pratt and Capt. In a statement, Pratt said he knows that both the FBI and Attorney General looked into Mr. Rocas allegations and found zero evidence to open an investigation. Following Rocas allegations, the Gazette obtained and analyzed Holyoke Police Department records tracking overtime pay and hours. 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. 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 . But now he finds out if he will be charged with misdemeanor furnishing of alcohol and reckless endangerment of a. 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 . of Police Corruption Holyoke, MA : 2020PoliceBrutality - reddit Rocas video has reached over 50,000 views. The HPDs top brass did not respond to numerous requests for comment on this story. The investigating officers found that Roca had violated four department policies: failing to comply with an order to take his video down, unbecoming conduct, criticism of the department and social media rules. program The comments are concerning, erroneous, harmful, but most importantly divisive, Capt. How do cops view themselves and their work? if (photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring2) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring3) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring4) > -1) { 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. "Yeah, they didn't waste any time. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Holyoke Police Department's 24 hour anonymous "TEXT-A-TIP" Dial CRIMES (533-TIPS or 533-8477). He was deployed to Bosnia from 2003-2004 where he worked with anti-corruption and security forces. Sgts. //var LBtag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkLBHolyokePD-hg031021,ph1'); March 9, 2021. Ill probably lose my job, but Im good. Nobody should get away with taking the law into their own hands and being above it, he said. 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.
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