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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 . 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. Mayor Alex Morse said in a statement that he could not comment on a personnel matter. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. NEPM also contacted all of the police officers mentioned in this story via email or phone. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Reyes the internal affairs officer found the officers actions justified and proper, and consistent with standard protocols for crash-scene response and safety. 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. Roca claimed that Manny Febo, the first Latinx police chief in Holyoke, has targeted him and other employees by refusing them positions and recognition for their work. 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. 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. Among Roca's more generalized allegations, he called out the department for: a. Murphy said that Roca had been on paid leave for eight months, and that the city needed to resolve that matter. I stand behind the video and what I said in it.. list of candidates for Holyoke police officer. 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. A newly released independent audit of the Holyoke Police Department found the HPD poses a "substantial risk" to the city it serves. Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca alleges there iscorruption and racism in the Holyoke Police Department. Concepcion said his experience with the HPDs internal affairs system shows that there isnt any accountability within the department. 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. The rollout hasnot been smooth, with commissioners sparring overinternal rulesandavailable resources. Roca said he has received support from former co-workers who are scared to speak out and from many others in the city. (AP) 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. var tag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkHolyokePD-hg031021,ph1'); Have you ever had a vision 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. Roca said that the department is rife with racism. Roca responded saying he already appealed the decision to the Massachusetts Civil Service Commission. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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. Nine of those 12 are in specialized assignments other than patrol operations. 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. 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. 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. Last August, Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia hired the New. When you are someone who speaks up about injustice and about corrupt police officers, they label you as a liar, they label you as a dirty police officer, they label you as someone who is untrustworthy, he said. The outstanding efforts of the men and women of the police department have resulted in a reduction in crime over the last two years. She wrotethat she believed Rocas public statements to be untruthful and self-serving, and that he made them with the intent to defame the Holyoke Police Department.. In his video, Roca references alleged abuse of overtime pay. Last August, Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia hired the New Hampshire-based consulting firm Municipal Resources, Inc., to audit the city's police department. AMHERST Amherst Police Chief Scott Livingstone will retire in May after nearly 14 years leading a department he joined upon graduating from AMHERST Unions at the University of Massachusetts are contending that more than 100 state jobs, and their accompanying benefits, are being WALTERBORO, S.C. One of the last pieces of a legal dynasty that doled out justice in rural South Carolina for decades crumbled Friday as lawyer WASHINGTON President Joe Biden exudes confidence as the next race for the White House approaches.During last months State of the Union address Holyoke police officer parks in the train station on Main Street on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. //LBtag_id.innerHTML = ''; Holyoke Massachusetts & Pennsylvania Legal Representation. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Skilled in Microsoft Word, Police Procedures, Defensive Tactics, Emergency Management, Law Enforcement, Conflict Resolution and Public Speaking. HOLYOKE, Mass. 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. 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. Bryan Custadio, Fall River Police Department. Murphy reportedly said he felt no pressure to fire Roca before he left office. The work of setting up a review board is difficult and time-intensive, Terrill said. Irving Concepcion filed a complaint against the Holyoke, Massachusetts, police in 2016, saying they pulled him over with their guns drawn, yanked him out of his car and slammed him down on the hood. He saidthat ultimately there was sufficient cause to terminate Roca. Holyoke Police Department | Holyoke MA var currentheadline = document.getElementById("headline").innerText; HOLYOKE A Holyoke police officer said he has been suspended after posting a lengthy video online alleging widespread corruption and racism within the police department. 2021 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. Current Police Chief David Pratt suspended Roca in March and then recommended that the mayor terminate Roca. 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. Amid Pandemic, Boston Loses Title as Country's Worst City for Traffic, Biden Hopes to Boost Offshore Wind as Mass. The backlash was swift from the citys two police unions, which called on Maldonado Velez to apologize or recuse himself from votes related to the police department. Advocates call for more police oversight after WBUR investigation, Mass. Roca was suspended with pay Tuesday as Holyoke police pursue an internal investigation, he said. He said that is because he is a proactive police officer who tries to engage in crime fighting., I was a very proactive officer, I would do my job, I tried to do traffic stops, he told the Gazette. SCREENSHOT/YOUTUBE And he said that when he would leave the station during those three weeks, police would pull his car over. Nobody should get away with taking the law into their own hands and being above it, he said. Roca also alleged that he has been the subject of retaliation for speaking out about misconduct in the department. Schedule a Free Consultation Fill out your information below: Law Offices of Allyn & Ball, P.C. 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 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.. The chief did, however, address several of the allegations Roca made in the video. 'Officer shuffle': Some ousted cops find jobs at new departments in Mass. Academic studies have shown its fairly common for police departments to sustain a small percentage of civilian complaints. Febo said that Roca misportrayed some examples of lost or stolen weapons. Mr. If you need to reach our office by phone, contact us at 413-538-7118. On March 7, Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca posted a video on YouTube alleging racism and corruption by the Holyoke Police Department. They kept trying to use the grabbing of the genitals to kind of quiet me down as a form of punishment and pain, Concepcion said. Service. Mayor Joshua Garcia also declined to sit down for an interview with NEPM. He also alleged gross negligence by Febo and his "favorites.". 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 did not use any names in his statement, but addressed an incident 10 years ago where rifles were lost. 'Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca alleges there iscorruption and racism in the Holyoke Police Department. 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. 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 . 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. According to the Holyoke Fire Department, at approximately 8:30 p.m . It took the HPD more than a year and a half to turn over its 69 internal investigations, all of which the department redacted to remove information about the person alleging misconduct. He also called for the FBI or the state attorney generals office to investigate the department. Hed be gone by then.. In response to a public records request, the HPD has now turned over the 69 investigations it conducted from 2010 through 2019 into civilian complaints. I stand behind the video and what I said in it. Pictured above: thumbnail of the Youtube video posted by Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca. HOLYOKE A Holyoke police officer recently released a YouTube video accusing the Holyoke Police Department of corruption. used triad trailer for sale. Each police department documented the incident and can be retrieved easily., Febo then addressed the incident in which Roca referred to an officer involving an alleged intentional boat accident. And thats the ultimate way of holding police accountable from the commissions perspective.. 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. MASSACHUSETTS-In early March, two police sergeants were suspended without pay for speaking with a reporter about mismanagement, corruption and racism within the Holyoke Police Department, and for providing him with internal documents. v. Civil Service . How do cops view themselves and their work? Joshua Garcia was sworn in as Holyokes 45th mayor on Monday. Holyoke Police Department's 24 hour anonymous "TEXT-A-TIP" Dial CRIMES (533-TIPS or 533-8477). 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. Myrick was originally elected when he 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. of I talked with two police chiefs in Minnesota about what happened when Tyre Nichols was stopped by Memphis police officers and fatally beaten last month. In fact, a year later, Valentin filed a civilian complaint against an HPD officer over his rudeness to her at the scene of a car crash involving her wife treatment Valentin alleged was related to her political stances.