His video, posted Sunday, has been viewed 27,000 times. It was not there to help me.. In January, Holyoke settled the police brutality suit against the city and officers for $65,000. Mayor Alex Morse said in a statement that he could not comment on a personnel matter. Because when you speak up and you expose corruption, he said in the video, thats what they do.. 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. Concepcion is not the first to allege that the HPD resisted taking his complaint. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. He said when he spoke out against the alleged injustice, racism and favoritism and nepotism that he had witnessed, he was punished and shunned. Roca said his attempts to transfer to a different police department were allegedly sabotaged by the chief, and cited a single informal complaint made against him that he said ended with no investigation and him working in an administrative role for more than a month. N/A civilian complaints of police misconduct. Moriarty, the president of the HPDs supervisors union, said at a press conference held specifically to address Maldonado Velezs comments. I stand behind the video and what I said in it.. You hear from those that came before us saying the police would kick you back down to the Flats; you couldnt be seen up above High Street, Maldonado Velez said. I think it just really supports the theory of nothing is going to happen, nothing is going to change, she said. Murphy reportedly said he felt no pressure to fire Roca before he left office. 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. Our forum rules are detailed in the Community Guidelines. He said he was in the hospital due to stress from the situation. 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 . Last August, Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia hired the New. Suspected. 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, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Nearly two dozen people have been arrested following an operation in Holyoke that police said is aimed at addressing the needs of the city and its residents. The classic response to demonstrated police corruption Step 1: Shoot the messenger. When Massachusetts lawmakers passed a sweeping police reform law in late 2020, one of the bills provisions opened up law enforcement misconduct investigations to greater scrutiny under the states public records law. 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. var photocredit = photocredit.toUpperCase(); Mount Holyoke College Assistant Vice President for Civil Rights and "Yeah, they didn't waste any time. Daily Hampshire Gazette Contests & Promotions, Daily Hampshire Gazette Evening Top Reads, Daily Hampshire Gazette Weekly Top Stories, Daily Hampshire Gazette Dining & Entertainment, Support the var sellablestring2 = "STAFF PHOTO"; Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Academic studies have shown its fairly common for police departments to sustain a small percentage of civilian complaints. (They) never investigated any of my allegations to see if I was lying, he said. var photocredit = "'SCREENSHOT/YOUTUBE' 'Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca. 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. Last August, Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia hired the New Hampshire-based consulting firm Municipal Resources, Inc., to audit the city's police department. Holyoke Massachusetts & Pennsylvania Legal Representation. In the almost 45-minute video, Roca recounted favoritism, covering up lost and stolen weapons and other instances of corruption. 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. var sellablestring3 = "STAFF FILE PHOTO"; Massachusetts officer alleges corruption within department He said the promoted individual allegedly lost two weapons as an officer. He went on to say that one weapon had allegedly been lost and another had been stolen from the officers home, an incident which Roca claimed was covered up.. Neiswanger said that a tipster found the gun in an alley, and that the mayors presence was a coincidence. HOLYOKE - A Holyoke police officer recently released a YouTube video accusing the Holyoke Police Department of corruption. Roca said Monday that he wasnt surprised to have been fired, though he said he was disappointed that no city, state or federal authorities fully investigated his allegations. The complaints allege HPD officers engaged in misconduct ranging from brutality and bullying to discourtesy and dishonesty. 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. After nearly a year, Reyes closed the departments investigation of the incident, saying he was unable to reach the man who complained. In 2017, for example, a civilian accused Holyoke police officer Patrick Leahy of putting him through hell for almost a year.. In his video, Roca references alleged abuse of overtime pay. var tag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkHolyokePD-hg031021,ph1'); Not a single person from City Hall or city government reached out at all, he said. The officers on the scene denied that they had drawn their weapons and challenged the extent of the mans injuries; they said he refused to get out of the car and then reached for the center console. I think the common response is, Why bother? she said. 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. He said minority candidates get passed over for top positions, as detectives or supervisors. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising Roca was immediately placed on administrative leave as the department conducted an internal investigation. He has since been suspended for . hallermotorworx.com Informacin detallada del sitio web y la empresa Not one time did they respond to a call, not one time were they on the radio, he said. 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 . //var LBtag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkLBHolyokePD-hg031021,ph1'); Reyes the internal affairs officer found the officers actions justified and proper, and consistent with standard protocols for crash-scene response and safety. Police Corruption Holyoke, MA (not me in video btw. I'm just a Based on the report, Police Chief David Pratt suspended Roca for five days and recommended that the citys mayor terminate him. He also said that academics have struggled to answer the question of whether a complaint against an officer represents a problem officer, a productive officer or some combination of the two. 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. Roca also said that other officers have not been fired after breaking the law driving drunk, for example losing firearms and other misconduct. 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. Roca said that the department is rife with racism. Officer Leahy made up a substantial portion of his report, the man wrote. I said Im sorry but, respectfully, I refuse to take it down.. Last week, Holyokes 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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. He said he is disappointed with how city officials reacted to his allegations. Howie Carr: What's so urgent in Holbrook, Mr. Speaker? How do cops view themselves and their work? 15 Massachusetts law enforcement officers suspended by reform commission Two of the civilian complaints that NEPM obtained alleged that police violently arrested students in the citys schools. "Holyoke has always been known as the Paper City. var sellablestring2 = "STAFF PHOTO"; 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. Rafael Roca, 37,. The driver, who officers alleged smelled of alcohol and had slurred speech, turned out to be a lieutenant with the Holyoke Fire Department. Schedule an appointment online for a New LTC / Firearms license. 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. Terrill said that often, complaints arent sustained because civilians have a misperception about what is, and isnt, a violation of department policy. 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. 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. According to Roca, supervisors in the department have lied on the stand. And I think were allowing a lot of these police departments to be above it.. A second, by the Firearm Review Board, lists Roca as exonerated.. Ill probably lose my job, but Im good. HOLYOKE, Mass. When. This followed years of battles between the mayor and City Council over control of the department and the effectiveness of a previous advisory panel, the Civilian Community Police Hearing Board. Roca said he hopes the Massachusetts government will audit the department. Roca said a police captain called him about a day after he posted the video. }, Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca. 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. var sellablestring3 = "STAFF FILE PHOTO"; HOLYOKE Mayor Joshua Garcia announced this week that the city has hired a firm to conduct an audit of the Holyoke Police Department. 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. Get the latest news on COVID-19 delivered to you. 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. The city attorney suggested that under the circumstances the city was getting off easy. Tagged: Holyoke, Rafael Roca, Holyoke Police Department, Manny Febo, YouTube, Ella White, Pioneer Valley, Italian professors departure would mean end of Italian major and minor programs, Students mobilize against the rise in tuition costs/tuition increase, Holyoke police officer suspended after alleging corruption. and affiliate links. He alleged that later, somebody who had been arrested tipped police off to the rifles location in an effort to receive leniency in court. 'Officer shuffle': Some ousted cops find jobs at new departments in Mass. Holyoke Officer Rafael Roca, a former Marine hired in 2016, said in the 43-minute video . OSHA, cannabis company reach $14k settlement in Holyoke worker's death . 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. Boing Boing uses cookies and analytics trackers, and is supported by advertising, merchandise John Hart was suspended and fined for losing a department-issued sniper rifle. 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). Febo said that Roca misportrayed some examples of lost or stolen weapons. Mayor Joshua Garcia also declined to sit down for an interview with NEPM. Wine Alan v City of Holyoke - Massachusetts They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system," Roca said on Monday,according to MassLive. Reyes, Police Chief David Pratt and Capt. Listen 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. Thats according to William Terrill, a professor at Arizona State University's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. If that doesn't work, move to step 2: literally shoot the messenger As part. They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system, Roca told Masslive.com on Monday. Febo did not use any names in his statement, but addressed an incident 10 years ago where rifles were lost. The outstanding efforts of the men and women of the police department have resulted in a reduction in crime over the last two years. Commonwealth of Massachusetts Civil Service Commission Consultoria de Marketing e Publicidade holyoke police corruption. Mr. 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. The reality is my community policing cops got a tip and they followed up on it, Neiswanger told The Republican at the time. Roca also suggests the state attorney general or the FBI should look into his claims against Febo and the department. 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.. 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. 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. Holyoke Chief of Police responds to allegations of department - WWLP //LBtag_id.innerHTML = ' Buy this Image'; He also mentioned that he was fired right before Joshua Garcia was sworn in as Holyokes mayor on Monday. tag_id.innerHTML = ' Buy this Image'; There was no set up.. Holyoke Police Department | Holyoke MA Joshua Garcia was sworn in as Holyokes 45th mayor on Monday. He said he felt as though for too long officers have been afraid to speak up and wanted this to change.
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