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. | 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. Febo, who plans to retire in July, said he has nothing to hide. 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 . When. Holyoke Police Department's 24 hour anonymous "TEXT-A-TIP" Dial CRIMES (533-TIPS or 533-8477). Thank you! Murphy reportedly said he felt no pressure to fire Roca before he left office. They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system, Roca told Masslive.com on Monday. But he said other studies have found that civilian review boards have a minimal effect on accountability. He noted that he was terminated in the final days of Murphys tenure as acting mayor. They label you a liar, he said. I stand behind the video and what I said in it. Concepcion alleged that he returned again and again for hours at a time until an HPD supervisor finally interviewed him three weeks later. They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system, Roca toldMasslive.comon Monday. The rollout hasnot been smooth, with commissioners sparring overinternal rulesandavailable resources. But some will be missing, Mass. Use our free directory to instantly connect with verified Police Misconduct attorneys. sites. Work Schedule:Monday through Friday Department Summary & Job Purpose: The Assistant Vice President for Civil Rights and Title IX Coordinator is a key leader of the College's equity and compliance work and an essential member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team centered around creating an inclusive campus community . In an interview last week, Garcia said he planned to follow through with an assessment of the police department, later adding: This is not an investigation, its an assessment.. 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. The 69 complaints that NEPM obtained are just the ones that civilians managed to file with the HPD in the first place. He said: The chief saw your video and hes ordering you to take it down, Roca said. The suspected shooter is in custody. (WWLP) - Holyoke's Chief of Police responded to the allegations of corruption within the department, made by an officer in a widely-circulated YouTube video. March 15, Roca said a police captain called him about a day after he posted the video. He said they did the same to a few teenagers in the car with him, taking one of them to the ground, putting a knee to his back and arresting him. 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. Neiswanger said that a tipster found the gun in an alley, and that the mayors presence was a coincidence. 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. He has since been suspended for . We definitely had examples of moments where we felt we were treated differently because of our activism and there was an underlying tone of retaliation.. He said that currently, there were 46 total patrolmen with eight years or more of full-time experience on the job., Out of those 46, 12 are minority officers. The police are among the very worst offenders under the current Massachusetts public records regime, even after all of the legislative progress that has been made.. The agency still has not released that data because of the need to clean up and validate the massive data set, according to Zuniga. 8. var currentLocation = window.location; School Holyoke Community College; Course Title ENGLISH 1301; Type. He was reelected three times, with his final term expiring in January 2022. Ill probably lose my job, but Im good. 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. Reyes ultimately exonerated Romero. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. Murphy said that neither the district attorneys office nor the attorney generals office ever spoke to him about any investigation of Rocas allegations. At least 85,000 law enforcement officers across the USA have been investigated or disciplined for misconduct over the past decade, an investigation by USA TODAY Network found. var sellablestring = "GAZETTE STAFF"; Now that Roca has filed an appeal, the Civil Service Commission will decide whether the termination holds up. His video, posted Sunday, has been viewed 27,000 times. According to the Holyoke Fire Department, at approximately 8:30 p.m . Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca. We dont have that today.. For those reasons, Reyes cleared the officers of violating department policies. 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). 540K subscribers in the Bad_Cop_No_Donut community. On March 9, spokesperson for the Holyoke Police Department Matthew Moriarty confirmed that Roca was on paid leave while an internal investigation was completed regarding the matter. 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. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. Instead of arresting the driver, Monsalve, one of a number of officers who responded, decided to park the drivers car and give him a ride back home. Two officers did respond to say that department policies prohibit them from speaking to the press without permission from higher-ups. 'Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca alleges there iscorruption and racism in 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. Roca mentioned the incident in his video over the weekend. 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. How do cops view themselves and their work? Youre immediately going into this intimidating environment and youre having to go up to the desk sergeant asking for this, and then youre put on ice and made to sit there, Terrill said. var photocredit = photocredit.toUpperCase(); Officer Leahy made up a substantial portion of his report, the man wrote. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. HOLYOKE - A Holyoke police officer recently released a YouTube video accusing the Holyoke Police Department of corruption. In March, Rafael Roca, who had been a Holyoke police officer since 2015, posted the video to YouTube, where it has since been viewed more than 56,000 times. In January, Holyoke settled the police brutality suit against the city and officers for $65,000. 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." Roca also said that other officers have not been fired after breaking the law driving drunk, for example losing firearms and other misconduct. var photocredit = "'GAZETTE FILE PHOTO' 'Holyoke police officer parks in the train station on Main Street on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. He was suspended for violating the departments social media policy, which prohibits officers from criticizing the department on social media platforms. All rights reserved (About Us). Roca said that the department is rife with racism. But now he finds out if he will be charged with misdemeanor furnishing of alcohol and reckless endangerment of a. Reyes, Police Chief David Pratt and Capt. Holyoke Police Officer Rafael Roca Fired Over Video Accusing Department Of Corruption And Racism November 23, 2021 | No Comments Last week, Holyoke's 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. Mayor Joshua Garcia also declined to sit down for an interview with NEPM. "Holyoke has always been known as the Paper City. 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. if (photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring2) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring3) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring4) > -1) { When you speak up and when you expose corruption, thats what they do. Im very confident that something is going to come of it, he said. 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 an interview with NEPM, Maldonado Velez said his critique of the police department is not about individual officers but rather the system of policing. 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 We reenter the clubhouse, as we go back to the pool table the brother that just received the pot starts to brag about having a brother as a Holyoke police officer and that he gets stuff like pot and can make some money that way., In its investigation, the HPD found the allegations against Monfett not sustained because there was insufficient evidence to either prove or disprove the allegation.. Febo said that Roca misportrayed some examples of lost or stolen weapons. Howie Carr: What's so urgent in Holbrook, Mr. Speaker? 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. Consultoria de Marketing e Publicidade holyoke police corruption. Garcia said that a sub-group from the city's Police Relations Advisory Committee reviewed several consulting firms' proposals to conduct the audit. 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. 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. tag_id.innerHTML = ''; 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.. 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. 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. Last August, Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia hired the New Hampshire-based consulting firm Municipal Resources, Inc., to audit the city's police department. 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. Febo, who plans to retire in July, said he has nothing to hide. Not a single person from City Hall or city government reached out at all, he said. The city attorney suggested that under the circumstances the city was getting off easy. "Yeah, they didn't waste any time. The HPDs log of complaints and internal investigations contains no evidence the department ever opened an internal investigation into the incident. Taken from that vehicle was two ballistic vests with two magazines in the pouches, along with some K9 gear, and a first aid bag. var sellablestring4 = "GAZETTE FILE PHOTO"; Skilled in Microsoft Word, Police Procedures, Defensive Tactics, Emergency Management, Law Enforcement, Conflict Resolution and Public Speaking. "We cannot expect people to have respect for law and order until we teach respect to those we '"; "I'll probably lose my job, but I'm good. Holyoke Police Department killed 1 person from 2013-21. }. Roca, however, claimed that somebody stole the gun from Harts house during a party. Roca said he was suspended for violating the departments social media policy, which bars officers from criticizing the department on social media platforms. var sellablestring2 = "STAFF PHOTO"; He also mentioned that he was fired right before Joshua Garcia was sworn in as Holyokes mayor on Monday. Pages 17 Course Hero uses AI to attempt to automatically extract content from documents to surface to you and others so you can study better, e.g., in search results, to enrich docs, and more. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Many of those officers all but one of whom are supervisors collected tens of thousands of dollars last year in overtime pay. Murphy said in a phone interview Monday that he felt no pressure from anyone to terminate Roca before he left office. Roca said he expected to face discipline after posting the video but was invested in calling attention to what he saw as problems within the department. Rafael Roca, 37, uploaded the now viral video early Sunday morning. Holyoke officer alleges corruption within, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Holyoke police officer alleges corruption within department, Many ambulances roll for excessive drinking at UMass Amhersts Blarney Blowout, Vermont bishop testifies against clergy reporting bill, All about eagle nest cameras in Massachusetts, Massachusetts charity helps save thousands of animals in need in war-torn Ukraine, 'Significant burst' of heavy snow possible for areas of Massachusetts, up to 12 inches potential in spots, Alex Murdaugh killed wife, son to buy time, prosecutor says, Boston employee payroll data shows more big-money employees than ever. 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. 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. A second, by the Firearm Review Board, lists Roca as exonerated.. Whether its now or later, well see.. [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 . Instead of being a man and admitting he made a mistake about seeing me with a firearm, he chose to remain silent and never appeared in court.. Similarrecords from the Northampton Police Department, for example, show that of the 90 times an officer faced a civilian complaint from 2010 and 2020, department superiors only disciplined officers nine times. Not one time did they respond to a call, not one time were they on the radio, he said. Previously, police departments were able to argue that those documents were personnel records, which are typically exempt from disclosure under the law. 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. Manuel Febo, a Holyoke native who grew up in the. They pick and choose who they want to discipline and who they dont want to discipline.. 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. The so-called Lexow Committee revealed to the city and nation in unprecedented detail. var photocredit = "'Screenshot from YouTube.' HOLYOKE, Mass. //LBtag_id.innerHTML = ''; Valentin, who went on to work as a staffer for U.S. Sens. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. Concepcion is not the first to allege that the HPD resisted taking his complaint. 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. 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. 2021 ", He calls out corrupt officers, including the "corrupt police chief, and he is out to get me" He also talks about the "vast misrepresentation when it comes to minority police officers. 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. Roca also took issue with the fact that a Nov. 5 hearing on his case took place at City Hall without him. The incident was fully investigated by previous chief, discipline meted out, and every step was reported publicly at that time, he wrote. 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.. The chief did, however, address several of the allegations Roca made in the video. 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.. HOLYOKE, Mass One person was killed during a shooting at the Holyoke Mall Saturday night, according to the Hampden County District Attorney's office. 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. 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. There were obviously violations of police procedures, Murphy said. Febo addresses the allegation that minority officers are not given opportunity for specialized assignments, as Roca said in his video that minorities are underrepresented in specialized positions. Holyoke Massachusetts & Pennsylvania Legal Representation. Position Type:Staff Full-time. Informacin detallada del sitio web y la empresa: hallermotorworx.com, +14799696464, +18005589044 Home Haller Motorworx & Farm Equipment Magazine, AR 479 969-6464 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. 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. Concepcion said his experience with the HPDs internal affairs system shows that there isnt any accountability within the department. 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. 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.