The outstanding efforts of the men and women of the police department have resulted in a reduction in crime over the last two years. will soon post complaints against police officers online. March 15, They pick and choose who they want to discipline and who they dont want to discipline.. 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. The incident was fully investigated by previous chief, discipline meted out, and every step was reported publicly at that time, he wrote. John Hart was suspended and fined for losing a department-issued sniper rifle. 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. Thats according to William Terrill, a professor at Arizona State University's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. It was not there to help me.. He expressed frustration that former Mayor Alex Morse did not do enough to address issues of racism during his tenure. He said that Febo and others have stepped in to prevent him from getting jobs with other police departments. 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. 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. Officers have. Roca also took issue with the fact that a Nov. 5 hearing on his case took place at City Hall without him. In an interview with the Republican, Febo disputed Rocas claims. Twelve of the 46 patrolmen with eight years or more of experience are part of a minority group, and nine of them have specialized positions, Febo wrote. 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. On December 24, 2015 and January 25, 2016, HRD, at the request of the City, sent 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. Nine of those 12 are in specialized assignments other than patrol operations. license except where otherwise noted. | Danielle Eatondeaton@thereminder.com, An officer with the Holyoke Police Deparment recently released a YouTube video, which contained allegations of corruption within the department.Reminder Publishing photo by Danielle Eaton. 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 . Jorge Monsalve. 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. 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. Now that Roca has filed an appeal, the Civil Service Commission will decide whether the termination holds up. Internal affairs is corrupt as can be, Roca said in his video. used triad trailer for sale. Roca said he also plans to file a lawsuit over his treatment. I think the challenge with that is in most jurisdictions that have a civilian review board or some version of that, its very rare for that board to have investigatory powers, Terrill said. Suspected. NEPM also contacted all of the police officers mentioned in this story via email or phone. 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. 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. 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. I think it just really supports the theory of nothing is going to happen, nothing is going to change, she said. 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. var photocredit = "'SCREENSHOT/YOUTUBE' 'Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca. On March 7, Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca posted a video on YouTube alleging racism and corruption by the Holyoke Police Department. 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. The 69 complaints that NEPM obtained are just the ones that civilians managed to file with the HPD in the first place. }. In one 2013 complaint, for example, a civilian alleged they watched police officer Charles Monfett pull up next to his brother in his police cruiser and hand him a bag of pot., We also overheard how it was just recovered from someone at Jones Point, the complaint alleges. 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. Some people who filed a complaint with the HPD said that officers actions impacted their lives long after the alleged misconduct took place. Reyes ultimately exonerated Romero. At the end of the video, Roca went on to tell viewers to seek accountability from elected officials. 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.. He alleged that later, somebody who had been arrested tipped police off to the rifles location in an effort to receive leniency in court. Holyoke police officer parks in the train station on Main Street on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Screenshot from YouTube. In August, the city of Holyoke hired a firm to audit its police department, including its internal affairs processes. The report, which Roca shared with the Gazette, was completed on July 2. When you speak up and when you expose corruption, thats what they do. Leon Davis, Springfield Police Department. Not a single person from City Hall or city government reached out at all, he said. Boing Boing is published under a Creative Commons Roca was immediately placed on administrative leave as the department conducted an internal investigation. Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca. Yeah they didnt waste any time. The HPDs top brass did not respond to numerous requests for comment on this story. Last August, Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia hired the New. They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system," Roca said on Monday,according to MassLive. Febo, who plans to retire in July, said he has nothing to hide. . Two of the civilian complaints that NEPM obtained alleged that police violently arrested students in the citys schools. v. Civil Service . The Holyoke Police Department is working very hard to reduce crime and impact violence in this industrious Western Massachusetts city. And thats the ultimate way of holding police accountable from the commissions perspective.. sites. 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 also mentioned that he was fired right before Joshua Garcia was sworn in as Holyokes mayor on Monday. delays new police misconduct database, Dusty Christensen, New England Public Media. HOLYOKE, Mass One person was killed during a shooting at the Holyoke Mall Saturday night, according to the Hampden County District Attorney's office. tag_id.innerHTML = ''; var sellablestring3 = "STAFF FILE PHOTO"; The attorney generals office declined to comment on Tuesday. 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. 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. It's Boston local news in one concise, fun and informative email. Roca has NEVER provided any credible information or documentation to substantiate his claims to the HPD, his union, the FBI, Attorney General or any other investigators that I am aware of, Pratt wrote, adding that Roca was given due process. March 9, 2021. Roca responded saying he already appealed the decision to the Massachusetts Civil Service Commission. In his internal report on the incident, HPDs internal affairs officer, Manuel Reyes, said police pulled over Concepcion for a traffic violation. 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 said that he saved the state troopers life, only to be treated like a piece of crap afterward, getting turned down for a job with the state police. In the departments investigation, police said they pulled him over for running a stop sign, then tried to tow his car after learning his license was suspended and registration revoked. I am a Latino. Roca said a police captain called him about a day after he posted the video. //var LBtag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkLBRocaHolyokeFiring-hg-111721,ph1'); var photocredit = photocredit.toUpperCase(); Roca also said that other officers have not been fired after breaking the law driving drunk, for example losing firearms and other misconduct. I plan to fight this to the end. 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. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. On March 7, Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca posted a video on YouTube alleging racism and corruption by the Holyoke Police Department. 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.. Whos policing the police? he asked. Wheres my due process in that?. So Romero arrested him for assault and battery on a police officer. var sellablestring = "GAZETTE STAFF"; 2021 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. Compare the best Police Misconduct lawyers near Holyoke, MA today. I did exactly what I was trained and paid to do but people on my watch had a problem with that because they like to sleep in their cruisers overnight; they dont want to work.. //LBtag_id.innerHTML = ''; 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. Officer Leahy made up a substantial portion of his report, the man wrote. 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. They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system, Roca toldMasslive.comon Monday. Holyoke Police Department killed 1 person from 2013-21. if (photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring2) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring3) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring4) > -1) { 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. He was suspended for violating the departments social media policy, which prohibits officers from criticizing the department on social media platforms. But that work hasnt fully gotten off the ground yet. 8. He said: The chief saw your video and hes ordering you to take it down, Roca said. Get the latest news on COVID-19 delivered to you. Roca said that he has only received one formal and one informal complaint during his five years on the force a claim that appears to be corroborated by an internal affairs log the Gazette has obtained through a public records request. Roca said he retired from the U.S. Marines after a lengthy career in 2016 and pursued his lifelong dream of being a police officer. He has since been suspended for refusing to take the video down. His video, posted Sunday, has been viewed 27,000 times. Our forum rules are detailed in the Community Guidelines. "We cannot expect people to have respect for law and order until we teach respect to those we Academic studies have shown its fairly common for police departments to sustain a small percentage of civilian complaints. Citizens in Holyoke, Colorado should be aware of illegal activities surrounding police brutality among their police departments and take actions against them. var photocredit = photocredit.toUpperCase(); //var LBtag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkLBRocaHolyokeFiring-hg-111721,ph2'); "Holyoke has always been known as the Paper City. var currentheadline = document.getElementById("headline").innerText; The mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts has appointed a new police chief who will be the first Latino to lead the department.
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