Pictured above: thumbnail of the Youtube video posted by Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca. 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. Mayor Alex Morse said in a statement that he could not comment on a personnel matter. 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. And in Amherst, records show that during a 12-year period, theAmherst Police Department investigated 16 civilian complaints; in only one of those cases did an officer face discipline. He also mentioned that he was fired right before Joshua Garcia was sworn in as Holyokes mayor on Monday. In the video, Roca also alleged that department leadership has covered up the facts surrounding several instances when weapons have gone missing from the department. 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. 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. Listen var currentLocation = window.location; Skilled in Microsoft Word, Police Procedures, Defensive Tactics, Emergency Management, Law Enforcement, Conflict Resolution and Public Speaking. Holyoke Police Department | Holyoke, MA On Nov. 10, then acting mayor Terence Murphy followed that recommendation after a city lawyer determined there was just cause for firing Roca. var photocredit = "'GAZETTE FILE PHOTO' 'Holyoke police officer parks in the train station on Main Street on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. MUGSHOTS: Nearly two dozen arrested in Holyoke during high - WWLP 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. Holyoke Police Department | Boing Boing The mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts, has broken his silence about an NEPM investigation that revealed the city's police department almost never disciplines officers whom civilians accuse of wrongdoing. Thank you! 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. We dont have that today.. Neiswanger said that a tipster found the gun in an alley, and that the mayors presence was a coincidence. The Hampden District Attorney's Office told NEPM it was unable to confirm this report or comment on it without more information, like the name of the defendant, which was redacted from the public records response. Mr. He said cities would have to go all in to train civilians to do that work. Pyle told NEPM that police departments and other public agencies will continue to withhold records or slow-roll their release until lawmakers improve the states public records law, which many have criticized as one of the least transparent in the country. 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. 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. 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. Find Top Holyoke, MA Police Misconduct Lawyers Near You | LawInfo This story is a production of the New England News Collaborative. "We cannot expect people to have respect for law and order until we teach respect to those we Murphy didnt have to answer to anybody. There are only two officers in this group that are assigned to specialized units. In a nearly 45-minute speech, he alleges that superior officers in the department falsify overtime pay, have protected each other from punishment from misconduct and have fostered a culture of favoritism and racism when it comes to promotion. Previously, police departments were able to argue that those documents were personnel records, which are typically exempt from disclosure under the law. var sellablestring2 = "STAFF PHOTO"; As of 2019, the estimated population was 40,117. 8. Roca also alleged that he has been the subject of retaliation for speaking out about misconduct in the department. 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 . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. When you speak up and when you expose corruption, thats what they do. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. 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. Garcia said that a sub-group from the city's Police Relations Advisory Committee reviewed several consulting firms' proposals to conduct the audit. Roca said he was suspended for violating the departments social media policy, which bars officers from criticizing the department on social media platforms. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Not a single person from City Hall or city government reached out at all, he said. Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca. '"; A newly released independent audit of the Holyoke Police Department found the HPD poses a "substantial risk" to the city it serves. Murphy said in a phone interview Monday that he felt no pressure from anyone to terminate Roca before he left office. Project Advances, What Happened to the Money?' It's Boston local news in one concise, fun and informative email. He went on to say that he had tried to sue, tried speaking with the supervisors, Ive tried my union, Ive tried it all. Roca said he hoped that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Attorney General, along with the FBI, would open an investigation into the 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. N/A civilian complaints of police misconduct. Holyoke Police Department Will Have First Latino Chief | WAMC Terrill said that often, complaints arent sustained because civilians have a misperception about what is, and isnt, a violation of department policy. (They) never investigated any of my allegations to see if I was lying, he said. Concepcion alleged that he returned again and again for hours at a time until an HPD supervisor finally interviewed him three weeks later. I stand behind the video and what I said in it.. Murphy didnt have to answer to anybody. All rights reserved (About Us). So far, the commission has only suspended 19 officers statewide because they were either arrested, charged or indicted on a felony charge. As for Roca, he said he doesnt regret posting the video or making the allegations. In an interview, POST Commission Executive Director Enrique Zuniga said the agencys investigations will eventually come before the full commission, which can go so far as to decertify officers found to have violated state standards a career-ending type of decision, Zuniga said. Thats what police was for. 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. In 2017, for example, a civilian accused Holyoke police officer Patrick Leahy of putting him through hell for almost a year.. Daily Hampshire Gazette. The city of Holyoke is not alone in resisting transparency, and I think thats the only way to describe an 18-month delay in providing access to records that clearly were public, said Jeffrey Pyle, an attorney with the firm Prince Lobel Tye LLP who specializes in media and First Amendment law. March 15, In 1894 the New York State Senate launched the first comprehensive investigation of corruption in the NYPD. Records obtained under new Mass. law show Holyoke police dismiss nearly The 69 complaints that NEPM obtained are just the ones that civilians managed to file with the HPD in the first place. They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system," Roca said on Monday,according to MassLive. 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). He expressed frustration that former Mayor Alex Morse did not do enough to address issues of racism during his tenure. 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.. 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. Hed be gone by then.. 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. He has since been suspended for . Last fall, five of the remaining six members of the board quit after they wereblocked from reviewing the police department's internal reporton the police killing of city resident Miguel Estrella. 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. Of the remaining 34 non-minority officers in this group, 18 are in a specialized assignment. A newly released independent audit of the Holyoke Police Department finds the HPD poses a "substantial risk" to the city it serves. (WWLP) - The Holyoke Fire Department was sent to Hampshire and Maple Streets for a car accident on Friday. 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 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. 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. Following Rocas allegations, the Gazette obtained and analyzed Holyoke Police Department records tracking overtime pay and hours. 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. The city attorney suggested that under the circumstances the city was getting off easy. var currentLocation = window.location; '"; Some people who filed a complaint with the HPD said that officers actions impacted their lives long after the alleged misconduct took place. Howie Carr: What's so urgent in Holbrook, Mr. Speaker? "whether the employee has been guilty of substantial misconduct which adversely affects the public interest by impairing the efficiency of public service." School Comm. Roca said the straw that broke the camels back and resulted in him posting the video was a call from a coworker he received the day the video was posted, March 7. Roca, however, claimed that somebody stole the gun from Harts house during a party. And he said that when he would leave the station during those three weeks, police would pull his car over. [15] Located 8 miles (13 km) north of Springfield, Holyoke is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Area, one of the two distinct metropolitan areas in Massachusetts." Story about Holyoke police beating a 12 year old Latino boy in 2014 and fallout: "Three Holyoke police officers beat a 12-year . The report, which Roca shared with the Gazette, was completed on July 2. var currentheadline = document.getElementById("headline").innerText; Whether its now or later, well see.. 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. 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. They want to send a message to other officers: Dont be like Roca, because this is exactly whats going to happen to you., Febo said in a statement released Tuesday that it is not standard practice for police departments to comment on issues that have an ongoing personnel investigation for violations of policy. Police Corruption Holyoke, MA (not me in video btw. I'm just a Of those 18 officers, eight made more than $200,000. Position Type:Staff Full-time. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Internal affairs is corrupt as can be, Roca said in his video. Subscribe Today, Amherst Police Chief Livingstone stepping down in May, Unions: UMass putting 100 jobs in jeopardy with privatization plan, Murdaughs fall from grace ends in life sentence for murder, Biden leaving room to change his mind on reelection. The agency still has not released that data because of the need to clean up and validate the massive data set, according to Zuniga. Service. var sellablestring4 = "GAZETTE FILE PHOTO"; "Holyoke has always been known as the Paper City. 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. I think it just really supports the theory of nothing is going to happen, nothing is going to change, she said. . Ill probably lose my job, but Im good. 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. Roca responded saying he already appealed the decision to the Massachusetts Civil Service Commission. The Gazettes coverage of the incident notes that officers attempted to subdue Guyette with a stun gun as he rammed into cars attempting to escape. What did Mayor Alex Morse do when Holyoke police beat a 12-year-old boy During the debate, City Councilor Jos Maldonado Velez referred to the police as a gang., It literally is, he said in the meeting. Theyre there to protect each other, to look out for each other, and to come out with force in our community. used triad trailer for sale. Bryan Custadio, Fall River Police Department. Academic studies have shown its fairly common for police departments to sustain a small percentage of civilian complaints. Holyoke Officer Refuses to Remove Video Alleging Corruption - The Daily Dot Nearly two dozen people arrested following 'high visibility' detail in 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. Graduated from 36th Massachusetts Police Officer . 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. At the end of the video, Roca went on to tell viewers to seek accountability from elected officials. 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.