At the time, Roca told the commission that he had told Monsalve he was OK with the driver being placed in protective custody instead of being arrested because he did not view it as his decision.. They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system, Roca said during an interview at the time. There are only two officers in this group that are assigned to specialized units. 8. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. SCREENSHOT/YOUTUBE The suspected shooter is in custody. He went on to say that he felt as though he would either be fired or suspended for posting the 45-minute long video. Moriarty, the president of the HPDs supervisors union, said at a press conference held specifically to address Maldonado Velezs comments. So far, the commission has only suspended 19 officers statewide because they were either arrested, charged or indicted on a felony charge. HOLYOKE, Mass One person was killed during a shooting at the Holyoke Mall Saturday night, according to the Hampden County District Attorney's office. Howie Carr: What's so urgent in Holbrook, Mr. Speaker? Wheres my due process in that?. }. 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. It was not there to help me.. It should be known as Corrupt City," he said in the video. Ill probably lose my job, but Im good. Bryan Custadio, Fall River Police Department. You can try, records from the Northampton Police Department, Amherst Police Department investigated 16 civilian complaints, Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, Holyoke police officer publicly alleged corruption, some characterized as excessive overtime, online, like the POST Commission now allows on its website, blocked from reviewing the police department's internal report. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. v. Civil Service . At issue in Rocas case was whether he disobeyed a legal order from a superior, brought the Holyoke Police Department into disrepute with his statements, violated policy by posting to social media without permission from the police chief, and made public criticism that was defamatory. Early on in his tenure with the department, Roca was called to testify in an appeal hearing before the state Civil Service Commission over the suspension of a superior, Sgt. 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. HOLYOKE Mayor Joshua Garcia announced this week that the city has hired a firm to conduct an audit of the Holyoke Police Department. Officers have. sites. list of candidates for Holyoke police officer. I already knew they were going to wait until the last minute, he said. 'Officer shuffle': Some ousted cops find jobs at new departments in Mass. Read the rules you agree to by using this website in our Terms He said minority candidates get passed over for top positions, as detectives or supervisors. 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. The man alleged that Leahy tackled him to the ground at 2 a.m. after he had left a club, put a gun to his head and told him to shut up when he asked what was going on. When told of NEPMs findings that only three officers had civilian complaints sustained against them over a decade, Valentin said shes not surprised. 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 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." It varies, obviously, from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and time to time, but generally the studies have found that the sustained rate, if you sum them all up, is usually about 10%, Terrill said. Yeah, they didnt waste any time. 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. 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.. The backlash was swift from the citys two police unions, which called on Maldonado Velez to apologize or recuse himself from votes related to the police department. Schedule an appointment online for a New LTC / Firearms license. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. 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. Boing Boing uses cookies and analytics trackers, and is supported by advertising, merchandise 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. Valentin, who went on to work as a staffer for U.S. Sens. Jorge Monsalve. It's Boston local news in one concise, fun and informative email. Among Roca's more generalized allegations, he called out the department for: a. used triad trailer for sale. The mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts has appointed a new police chief who will be the first Latino to lead the department. I stand behind the video and what I said in it.. Hed be gone by then.. I plan to fight this to the end. But critics have described that body as toothless. 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. 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. Murphy said in a phone interview Monday that he felt no pressure from anyone to terminate Roca before he left office. of 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. A handful of other officers were "spoken to" or "cautioned" by their superiors for other offenses, but the records show no evidence that the officers were disciplined for those violations of department rules. . He said cities would have to go all in to train civilians to do that work. Academic studies have shown its fairly common for police departments to sustain a small percentage of civilian complaints. HOLYOKE, Mass. And I think were allowing a lot of these police departments to be above it.. Taken from that vehicle was two ballistic vests with two magazines in the pouches, along with some K9 gear, and a first aid bag. I stand behind the video and what I said in it. In 2018, a man alleged that school resource officer Melvis Romero abused his authority when he threw the mans son to the ground during the school day and arrested him, injuring his neck and shoulders in the process. "Holyoke has always been known as the Paper City. But he said other studies have found that civilian review boards have a minimal effect on accountability. Concepcion is not the first to allege that the HPD resisted taking his complaint. He said he is disappointed with how city officials reacted to his allegations. With that said, I will not be commenting on the internal personnel matter that is ongoing.. Last August, Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia hired the New. HOLYOKE Two days after a Holyoke Police Officer posted a viral YouTube video accusing his own department of corruption and racism, Police Chief Manny Febo has clapped back. var sellablestring2 = "STAFF PHOTO"; Roca, however, claimed that somebody stole the gun from Harts house during a party. 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.. ", Police departments in America have a lot of unnecessary military hardware, thanks to sweetheart deals between legislators and arms dealers that allow for layers of creative financial accounting as long READ THE REST, Here's how creator Johnny Damm explains the project: Can policing be reformed? It's that point in the year READ THE REST, We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Who will be eaten first? Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Read about what we do with the data we gather in our Privacy Policy. tag_id.innerHTML = ''; var sellablestring = "GAZETTE STAFF"; What I can say is that I have full confidence in the integrity and professionalism of the Chief of Police and the men and women that make up the Holyoke Police Department, he wrote. Degnan said in her report that she offered him the ability to participate via telephone and that she did not receive a physicians note with sufficient detail to verify that he could not participate in the hearing. 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. Two of the civilian complaints that NEPM obtained alleged that police violently arrested students in the citys schools. They put him in handcuffs at his home, but Monsalve ultimately decided to place the driver in protective custody instead of arresting him, declining to give the driver a breathalyzer, according to testimony included in the commissions decision. Holyoke Police Department | Holyoke MA He saidthat ultimately there was sufficient cause to terminate Roca. Roca said he has received support from former co-workers who are scared to speak out and from many others in the city. When. I am a Latino. 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. The outstanding efforts of the men and women of the police department have resulted in a reduction in crime over the last two years. Because when you speak up and you expose corruption, he said in the video, thats what they do.. 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 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. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. Iowa Police Chief arrested after selling black market military machine guns, "I'm a Cop" is a classic horror comic using real-life quotes from police departments, Transform your ideas into unique art with this CES-featured, AI art tool, now on sale for $49.99, Safely organize your devices and chargers with the CES-featured Bento Stack Charge 8000, Start your musical journey with the Populele Smart Ukulele, now only $159.99, 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. The 69 complaints that NEPM obtained are just the ones that civilians managed to file with the HPD in the first place. That transparency has been slow to arrive, however. 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. 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 was deployed to Bosnia from 2003-2004 where he worked with anti-corruption and security forces. Screenshot from YouTube. In the almost 45-minute video, Roca recounted favoritism, covering up lost and stolen weapons and other instances of corruption. //var LBtag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkLBRocaHolyokeFiring-hg-111721,ph2'); var sellablestring4 = "GAZETTE FILE PHOTO"; 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. All rights reserved, FIRST ALERT: Storm Hitting Greater Boston Live Radar, Updates. His video, posted Sunday, has been viewed 27,000 times. Thats what police was for. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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. license except where otherwise noted. 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. tag_id.innerHTML = ''; Reyes, Police Chief David Pratt and Capt. program Febo, who plans to retire in July, said he has nothing to hide. Uploaded By Greenpalace1. 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. (WWLP) - The Holyoke Fire Department was sent to Hampshire and Maple Streets for a car accident on Friday. 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. var sellablestring4 = "GAZETTE FILE PHOTO"; 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. Roca mentioned the incident in his video over the weekend. 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. The handwritten log, which tracks civilian and internal complaints against officers and their conclusions, features two entries for Roca. Holyoke Police Department killed 1 person from 2013-21. 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. var photocredit = photocredit.toUpperCase(); 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. 234 were here. I stand behind the video and what I said in it.. HOLYOKE, Mass. Roca said that the department is rife with racism. I think it just really supports the theory of nothing is going to happen, nothing is going to change, she said. 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. 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. HOLYOKE A Holyoke police officer recently released a YouTube video accusing the Holyoke Police Department of corruption. 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. Febo did not use any names in his statement, but addressed an incident 10 years ago where rifles were lost. Advocates call for more police oversight after WBUR investigation, Mass. 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. HOLYOKE, Mass. Play all audios: Loading. 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. I wasnt looking for them to be on my side, but youd think if somebody was making allegations about their city they may have questions themselves.. var currentLocation = window.location; 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. HOLYOKE, Mass. 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. We dont have that today.. Here is the list of officers: Devon Bones, Holyoke Police Department. And thats the ultimate way of holding police accountable from the commissions perspective.. Whos policing the police? he asked. Another was accused of sexual assault while he was off duty. Roca had been with the department since 2015. The HPD is not the only local department that rarely disciplines officers based on civilian complaints. Myrick was originally elected when he READ THE REST, We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. 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.. That second entry likely relates to an incident in 2017 when Roca fired his gun at a Leeds resident, Dan Guyette, who led officers on a high-speed chase through Holyoke before crashing into parked cars.
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