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.. Roca had argued that the citys social media policy illegally infringed on his First Amendment rights, and that his statements were true and therefore were not defamatory. After nearly a year, Reyes closed the departments investigation of the incident, saying he was unable to reach the man who complained. The handwritten log, which tracks civilian and internal complaints against officers and their conclusions, features two entries for Roca. 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 Roca was immediately placed on administrative leave as the department conducted an internal investigation. 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. 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. 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. 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, however, claimed that somebody stole the gun from Harts house during a party. Carla Sinclair 11:00 am Tue Mar 9, 2021. Roca said that the department is rife with racism. Mayor Alex Morse said in a statement that he could not comment on a personnel matter. Growing up Puerto Rican in the Flats neighborhood of Holyoke one of the citys majority-Hispanic lower wards Maldonado Velez said he heard plenty of stories from those whom that system harmed. Manuel Febo, a Holyoke native who grew up in the. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Pyle represented the WorcesterTelegram & Gazettein the newspapers 2018 lawsuit against the city of Worcester over its police departments illegal withholding of misconduct records. Mr. 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. Some people who filed a complaint with the HPD said that officers actions impacted their lives long after the alleged misconduct took place. //LBtag_id.innerHTML = ''; I am a Latino. For those reasons, Reyes cleared the officers of violating department policies. Holyoke Massachusetts & Pennsylvania Legal Representation. A vehicle was stolen in Granby, Mass., that vehicle was driven by suspects who drove around and broke into parked vehicles in driveways in South Hadley. The youths, Reyes report alleged, were Blood gang members who were under surveillance for their possible involvement in a shooting involving a school bus on the previous day. He said the cars possibly armed occupants made furtive movements and refused to show their hands, and that the officers on scene denied making the remarks Concepcion alleged. GAZETTE FILE PHOTO Get the latest news on COVID-19 delivered to you. Becoming a police officer was his "life long dream" but that dream was "quickly affected" and "hurt" by the corruption and racism of police officers, which "goes back to as long as anyone can remember. 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. I dont think the mayors office is the right place to do a criminal investigation of the police, Murphy said when asked whether the city had investigated Rocas claims. Roca was suspended with pay Tuesday as Holyoke police pursue an internal investigation, he said. 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. It should be known as Corrupt City," he said in the video. Project Advances, What Happened to the Money?' 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. var photocredit = "'GAZETTE FILE PHOTO' 'Holyoke police officer parks in the train station on Main Street on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. 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. The agency still has not released that data because of the need to clean up and validate the massive data set, according to Zuniga. At the end of the video, Roca went on to tell viewers to seek accountability from elected officials. '"; used triad trailer for sale. Skilled in Microsoft Word, Police Procedures, Defensive Tactics, Emergency Management, Law Enforcement, Conflict Resolution and Public Speaking. 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. "whether the employee has been guilty of substantial misconduct which adversely affects the public interest by impairing the efficiency of public service." School Comm. Read the rules you agree to by using this website in our Terms 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. Neiswanger said that a tipster found the gun in an alley, and that the mayors presence was a coincidence. HOLYOKE, Mass. 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. Roca said he has already appealed that decision to the states Civil Service Commission. Boing Boing uses cookies and analytics trackers, and is supported by advertising, merchandise Coughlin has been living large on his State Police pension of $131,961 a year. Officer Leahy made up a substantial portion of his report, the man wrote. While on the ground, [redacted] placed his hands under him refusing to place his hands behind him forcing Officer Romero to again employ more force to force his hands behind him, Reyes wrote. 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. 2021 On March 7, Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca posted a video on YouTube alleging racism and corruption by the Holyoke Police Department. The city settled that lawsuit for $65,000 in 2020. Graduated from 36th Massachusetts Police Officer . Among Roca's more generalized allegations, he called out the department for: a. Others, he added, have managed to escape from serious instances of misconduct without any disciplinary action. He also mentioned that he was fired right before Joshua Garcia was sworn in as Holyokes mayor on Monday. As of 2019, the estimated population was 40,117. There were obviously violations of police procedures, Murphy said. Now, he said, one of his sons was on pain medication because of the force Romero used to arrest him. He also called for the FBI or the state attorney generals office to investigate the department. Roca said he has received support from former co-workers who are scared to speak out and from many others in the city. 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.. I already knew they were going to wait until the last minute, he told the newspaper. In January, Holyoke settled the police brutality suit against the city and officers for $65,000. 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. 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. One is a female who is being trained to investigate sensitive crimes involving children, females and domestic violence. Asked on Monday what he thinks will happen to him after he spoke out against the department and other officers, Roca said he expects to be fired a possibility he mentioned in his video. 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. 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. That outcome police officers facing no discipline after a civilian alleges wrongdoing is hardly unique to Concepcions case. 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. So Romero arrested him for assault and battery on a police officer. The work of setting up a review board is difficult and time-intensive, Terrill said. ", 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. They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system, Roca told Masslive.com on Monday. 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.. if (photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring2) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring3) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring4) > -1) { var currentLocation = window.location; Roca said he also plans to file a lawsuit over his treatment. 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. 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. Ultimately, police found the weapon in February 2012 while Morse was riding along with officers on duty. The reality is my community policing cops got a tip and they followed up on it, Neiswanger told The Republican at the time. Roca had been with the department since 2015. A newly released independent audit of the Holyoke Police Department found the HPD poses a "substantial risk" to the city it serves. Ill probably lose my job, but Im good. 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. sales HOLYOKE A Holyoke police officer recently released a YouTube video accusing the Holyoke Police Department of corruption. In August, the city of Holyoke hired a firm to audit its police department, including its internal affairs processes. He said he is disappointed with how city officials reacted to his allegations. If youre in the police department, you have to obey orders.. }. A police officer says he's on paid administrative leave for refusing to take down the 43-minute video that alleges corruption within the police department in Holyoke, Massachusetts. tag_id.innerHTML = ''; 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. 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.. Out of the 92 times an officer was named in a civilian complaint, HPDs top brass only sustained, or upheld, allegations against an officer three times: a dispatcher who received a verbal warning in 2012 when she was accused of rudeness, an officer who received a verbal warning after he released a 14 year olds booking photo to the press in 2018, and another officer who received additional training in 2013 after a group of civilians accused her of swearing at them and referring to them as illegals.. var sellablestring = "GAZETTE STAFF"; 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. Roca said he hopes the Massachusetts government will audit the department. Roca also claimed in his video that recently, a police officer had his car stolen with guns and equipment inside. He alleged that the car was found in Hartford, but the guns and equipment were missing. He noted that he was terminated in the final days of Murphys tenure as acting mayor. 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. "Yeah, they didn't waste any time. 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. Murphy didnt have to answer to anybody. 234 were here. 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. Ill probably lose my job, but Im good. Office Location: 57 Suffolk St. Suite 200 Holyoke, MA 01040 Call Us If you go behind the curtain of law enforcement, oftentimes youll hear officers say the surest way not to get a complaint is not to interact with the public, he said. 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. 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. For this reason, the Holyoke Police department will have no further comment regarding Mr. Roca or his Case.. Nine of those 12 are in specialized assignments other than patrol operations. He alleged that later, somebody who had been arrested tipped police off to the rifles location in an effort to receive leniency in court. 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. Schedule a Free Consultation Fill out your information below: Law Offices of Allyn & Ball, P.C. When. This story has been updated to include a statement from Chief Manny Febo which he sent to the Gazette midday on Tuesday. The city attorney suggested that under the circumstances the city was getting off easy. 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. 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. The comments are concerning, erroneous, harmful, but most importantly divisive, Capt. Roca said he had performed consistently in his role as a police officer and engaged in crime fighting when others were allegedly sleeping in their police cruisers and ignoring crime. He went on to say there had been officers he knew of that were allegedly involved in drunk driving incidents, who had assaulted people with their boats who have been labeled as racist and officers who had stolen money. He went on to say there were police officers who allegedly have made an excess of $260,000 a year and no one had questioned the situation.
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