If that doesn't work, move to step 2: literally shoot the messenger Daily Hampshire Gazette. of Three of those officers claimed more than 800 overtime hours that year, and another claimed more than 1,200 hours. 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. 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. HOLYOKE, Mass. Roca responded saying he already appealed the decision to the Massachusetts Civil Service Commission. The police are policing themselves., Maldonado Velez is not the first city councilor who has come under fire from Holyokes police unions. There were obviously violations of police procedures, Murphy said. 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. She testified she complained about her sons beating, was assured the matter was being investigated but was never instructed on what other steps she could take to formally complain against police.. But he said other studies have found that civilian review boards have a minimal effect on accountability. He also called for the FBI or the state attorney generals office to investigate the department. Wheres my due process in that?. He was reelected three times, with his final term expiring in January 2022. 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. Read the rules you agree to by using this website in our Terms He said that Febo and others have stepped in to prevent him from getting jobs with other police departments. Febo said that Roca misportrayed some examples of lost or stolen weapons. 234 were here. Mr. Ill probably lose my job, but Im good. He said NEPMs reporting points to a they-against-us type of mentality and not really a serve-and-protect type mentality within the police department, and that an external, non-biased party should be investigating allegations of misconduct. tag_id.innerHTML = ''; In 1894 the New York State Senate launched the first comprehensive investigation of corruption in the NYPD. When told of NEPMs findings that only three officers had civilian complaints sustained against them over a decade, Valentin said shes not surprised. They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system," Roca said on Monday,according to MassLive. 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. Roca said he hopes the Massachusetts government will audit the department. Service. I think the common response is, Why bother? she said. Roca said that the department is rife with racism. He was deployed in 2009-2010 to Iraq where he assisted military police . designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated 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. }. N/A civilian complaints of police misconduct. In 2014, the president of the patrol-officer union wrote a scathing letter to the City Council denouncing Councilors Rebecca Lisi and Jossie Valentin for marching in a Black Lives Matter protest where he said some protesters used anti-police rhetoric., Since that moment, it was very evident to me that some members of the Holyoke Police Department were not happy with me and with Rebecca, Valentin told NEPM in an interview from Puerto Rico, where she now lives. license except where otherwise noted. 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. He said that the officer had allegedly been instructed to give him remedial training on how to apply a tourniquet. This, he said, was a result of an incident in late January in which he had responded to an incident that resulted in a stabbing and been praised by his coworkers. 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. ", He calls outgoing Police Chief Manny Febo "corrupt," contending minorities are routinely passed over for upper-tier assignments and disciplined at higher rates. Rafael Roca, 37,. Nine of those 12 are in specialized assignments other than patrol operations. 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. 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. Within the department, he said he had been shamed. Roca said in his report that the driver attempted to back into a state trooper, at which point he fired his gun three times at the driver. The man alleged there was a problem with the arrest report Leahy later filed, saying it contained outright lies and falsehoods. He said he never had a gun and never even stepped into the street. Yeah, they didnt waste any time. Taken from that vehicle was two ballistic vests with two magazines in the pouches, along with some K9 gear, and a first aid bag. 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. The benefits of learning to play READ THE REST. A second, by the Firearm Review Board, lists Roca as exonerated.. Hed be gone by then.. var photocredit = photocredit.toUpperCase(); if (photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring2) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring3) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring4) > -1) { He said the incident took place last year and involved the department responding to a call at the boat ramp where a citizen had stated that an officer had purposely rammed his boat. Febo went on to say there were conflicting accounts regarding the incident and very minor contact. He said while no formal complaint was filed, a report was filed and the incident was not covered up. Additionally, he said, the officer was spoken to about rudeness when dealing with the public. Febo, who plans to retire in July, said he has nothing to hide. The mayors office said it expects the report to be completed in the coming days. Boing Boing uses cookies and analytics trackers, and is supported by advertising, merchandise I kept yelling that they were violating our rights and they continued to search my vehicle against my will. 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. He added, I want to [assure] the citizens of Holyoke that they can continue to have confidence in the men and women of the Holyoke Police Department and the great work that they do every day.. . 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. He alleged that he was denied a job with the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus police at the request of his police chief and that when he saved the life of a white state trooper, the state trooper was rewarded over himself. 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. Daily Hampshire Gazette. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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 March, Roca was placed on suspension after his video, which has over 56,000 views, accused officers of false overtime pay, protecting each other from punishment after misconduct and creating a culture of racism and favoritism, especially with promotions. 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 handwritten log, which tracks civilian and internal complaints against officers and their conclusions, features two entries for Roca. GAZETTE FILE PHOTO var sellablestring2 = "STAFF PHOTO"; 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Service, a Creative Commons 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Speaking to the Gazette, he alleged he has worked on grant-funded shifts during which supervisors who were supposed to be working were nowhere to be found the entire shift.. var sellablestring2 = "STAFF PHOTO"; Whether its now or later, well see.. var tag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkRocaHolyokeFiring-hg-111721,ph1'); '"; One of our detectives who is assigned to a task force had his task force vehicle broken into, he said. ", 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? 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 you speak up and when you expose corruption, thats what they do. Roca said that as a result, supervisors have given him a bad image that has influenced others in the department. At the end of the video, Roca went on to tell viewers to seek accountability from elected officials. In other words, having the power to question the suspect, having the power to question the officer.. He said he felt as though for too long officers have been afraid to speak up and wanted this to change. var sellablestring3 = "STAFF FILE PHOTO"; //var LBtag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkLBHolyokePD-hg031021,ph1'); Springfield this past year reinstituted a civilian Board of Police Commissioners to oversee the department and decide on officer discipline. 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. Current Police Chief David Pratt suspended Roca in March and then recommended that the mayor terminate Roca. var currentLocation = window.location; 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. Pratt said that Roca can still present his case to the Civil Service Commission. 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. 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. var sellablestring = "GAZETTE STAFF"; 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. The chief did, however, address several of the allegations Roca made in the video. But that work hasnt fully gotten off the ground yet. var currentheadline = document.getElementById("headline").innerText; 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. will soon post complaints against police officers online. 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. 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. used triad trailer for sale. And he said that when he would leave the station during those three weeks, police would pull his car over. TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated Saturday against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's contentious plan to overhaul the country's legal system, as the governm 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. 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. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising Moriarty, the president of the HPDs supervisors union, said at a press conference held specifically to address Maldonado Velezs comments. Febo, who plans to retire in July, said he has nothing to hide. 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. But the police reform bill changed that, clarifying that those investigations are not personnel records. 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.. 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. Holyoke Police Department Friday: 03/25/2022 Juvenile (16) from Springfield is charged with: Possession of Class A Possession of Class A to Distribute Possession of Ammunition without a FID.