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. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. var tag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkRocaHolyokeFiring-hg-111721,ph2'); Officers have. SCREENSHOT/YOUTUBE In his video, Roca references alleged abuse of overtime pay. The attorney generals office declined to comment on Tuesday. 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. And the department has yet to turn over a single investigation initiated by department supervisors or other agencies, which include allegations of everything from untruthfulness to an intercepted phone conversation revealing possible misconduct from the Hampden County jail, according to the HPDs log. 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. Pictured above: thumbnail of the Youtube video posted by Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca. 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 . Play all audios: Loading. 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. You have been subscribed to WBUR Today. The mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts has appointed a new police chief who will be the first Latino to lead the department. You can try, records from the Northampton Police Department, Amherst Police Department investigated 16 civilian complaints, Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, Holyoke police officer publicly alleged corruption, some characterized as excessive overtime, online, like the POST Commission now allows on its website, blocked from reviewing the police department's internal report. So far, the commission has only suspended 19 officers statewide because they were either arrested, charged or indicted on a felony charge. He said he is disappointed with how city officials reacted to his allegations. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, told NEPM that she filed the complaint because she wanted to push back against her constituents dominant perception: that there was no point in filing a complaint against the HPD. Roca said that as a result, supervisors have given him a bad image that has influenced others in the department. 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. 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. 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. Holyoke Police Department | Holyoke MA He said cities would have to go all in to train civilians to do that work. Febo did not use any names in his statement, but addressed an incident 10 years ago where rifles were lost. Roca, however, claimed that somebody stole the gun from Harts house during a party. 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. This story has been updated to include a statement from Chief Manny Febo which he sent to the Gazette midday on Tuesday. Manuel Febo, a Holyoke native who grew up in the. His video, posted Sunday, has been viewed 27,000 times. v. Civil Service . Rafael Roca, 37, uploaded the now viral video early Sunday morning. 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. 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). One officer was accused of using his siren at a drive-thru window to get his ice cream more quickly. Roca then went on to accuse current Holyoke Police Chief, Manny Febo, of being a corrupt police officer. 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. "I'm here to make this video to expose the corruption, and the lies, and the injustice that is taking place within the police department in Holyoke, Massachusetts," he says at the start of the video. "Holyoke has always been known as the Paper City. license. Isaac Holyoke, director of communications at CleanSpark, said the shift made it easier for employees to communicate with each other and that employees value "autonomy and flexibility." "People are used to being at home when they can go on business when they need to, and we have kept that culture here in the office," Holyoke said. HOLYOKE, Mass. In a statement, Pratt said he knows that both the FBI and Attorney General looked into Mr. Rocas allegations and found zero evidence to open an investigation. To tackle these questions,"I'm a Cop"directly examines the words of READ THE REST, The Boston Globe recently printed an op-ed by former Ithaca, NY mayor Svante Myrick, who talks about his own city's approach to police reform. And cities where complaints of police misconduct are rarely ruled in favor of civilians could benefit from creating an oversight structure to independently investigate these complaints. Academic studies have shown its fairly common for police departments to sustain a small percentage of civilian complaints. 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. var sellablestring2 = "STAFF PHOTO"; . Graduated from 36th Massachusetts Police Officer . Service. 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. Ill probably lose my job, but Im good. So Romero arrested him for assault and battery on a police officer. We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. Because Roca has filed an appeal, the state Civil Service Commission will now determine whether his discipline will stand. Previously, police departments were able to argue that those documents were personnel records, which are typically exempt from disclosure under the law. }. The complaints allege HPD officers engaged in misconduct ranging from brutality and bullying to discourtesy and dishonesty. 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. Roca had been with the department since 2015. tag_id.innerHTML = ''; HOLYOKE Last week, the citys acting mayor fired a police officer who earlier this year posted a viral video on social media alleging corruption and racism within the Holyoke Police Department. var photocredit = "'GAZETTE FILE PHOTO' 'Holyoke police officer parks in the train station on Main Street on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. var photocredit = "'Screenshot from YouTube.' 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. var tag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkHolyokePD-hg031021,ph1'); I stand behind the video and what I said in it.. 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. //var LBtag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkLBRocaHolyokeFiring-hg-111721,ph1'); Despite the high Puerto Rican population in Holyoke, Roca said there are not enough police officers from the community. The 69 complaints that NEPM obtained are just the ones that civilians managed to file with the HPD in the first place. 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 sellablestring4 = "GAZETTE FILE PHOTO"; The HPD is not the only local department that rarely disciplines officers based on civilian complaints. ", 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. Roca said that he has only received one formal and one informal complaint during his five years on the force a claim that appears to be corroborated by an internal affairs log the Gazette has obtained through a public records request. Roca also took issue with the fact that a Nov. 5 hearing on his case took place at City Hall without him. 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. //LBtag_id.innerHTML = ''; Its not clear and it doesnt exist. sales 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. The city attorney suggested that under the circumstances the city was getting off easy. 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. In the almost 45-minute video, Roca recounted favoritism, covering up lost and stolen weapons and other instances of corruption. He was suspended for violating the departments social media policy, which prohibits officers from criticizing the department on social media platforms. 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. var photocredit = "'SCREENSHOT/YOUTUBE' 'Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca. Theyre there to protect each other, to look out for each other, and to come out with force in our community. It was not there to help me.. }, Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca. 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. delays new police misconduct database, Dusty Christensen, New England Public Media. Leon Davis, Springfield Police 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. Holyoke Massachusetts & Pennsylvania Legal Representation. var sellablestring = "GAZETTE STAFF"; Roca was suspended with pay Tuesday as Holyoke police pursue an internal investigation, he said. And thats the ultimate way of holding police accountable from the commissions perspective.. The report, which Roca shared with the Gazette, was completed on July 2. Among Roca's more generalized allegations, he called out the department for: a. The HPDs log of complaints and internal investigations contains no evidence the department ever opened an internal investigation into the incident. But critics have described that body as toothless. Informacin detallada del sitio web y la empresa: hallermotorworx.com, +14799696464, +18005589044 Home Haller Motorworx & Farm Equipment Magazine, AR 479 969-6464 and affiliate links. His video, posted Sunday, has been viewed 27,000 times. 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. At the end of the video, Roca went on to tell viewers to seek accountability from elected officials. 234 were here. The comments are concerning, erroneous, harmful, but most importantly divisive, Capt. For those reasons, Reyes cleared the officers of violating department policies. I want to ensure 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, he wrote. Murphy said that neither the district attorneys office nor the attorney generals office ever spoke to him about any investigation of Rocas allegations. 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. Internal affairs is corrupt as can be, Roca said in his video. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Of the remaining 34 non-minority officers in this group, 18 are in a specialized assignment. 8. Daily Hampshire Gazette. (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 . The investigating officers found that Roca had violated four department policies: failing to comply with an order to take his video down, unbecoming conduct, criticism of the department and social media rules. If you need to reach our office by phone, contact us at 413-538-7118. Police Capt. . Some complaints involve allegations that police officers broke the law. I think it just really supports the theory of nothing is going to happen, nothing is going to change, she said. Prosecutors pressed charges against him until the day he showed up for his trial, when he said they informed him they were dropping the case. I kept yelling that they were violating our rights and they continued to search my vehicle against my will. 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. 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. Click here to sign up for our weekly coronavirus newsletter. A second, by the Firearm Review Board, lists Roca as exonerated.. Sgts. Roca said he has received support from former co-workers who are scared to speak out and from many others in the city. 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. Roca said he hopes the Massachusetts government will audit the department. Reyes the internal affairs officer found the officers actions justified and proper, and consistent with standard protocols for crash-scene response and safety. Read the rules you agree to by using this website in our Terms Boing Boing is published under a Creative Commons 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. 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.. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Holyoke Officer Rafael Roca, a former Marine hired in 2016, said in the 43-minute video . But that work hasnt fully gotten off the ground yet. He said he felt as though for too long officers have been afraid to speak up and wanted this to change. 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 went on to say that he felt as though he would either be fired or suspended for posting the 45-minute long video. 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. 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. The stolen vehicle was later recovered in Hartford, CT and one of the vests and some K9 gear was recovered. Terrill said that often, complaints arent sustained because civilians have a misperception about what is, and isnt, a violation of department policy. Valentin, who went on to work as a staffer for U.S. Sens. In an interview with the Republican, Febo disputed Rocas claims. Screenshot from YouTube. if (photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring2) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring3) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring4) > -1) { With that said, I will not be commenting on the internal personnel matter that is ongoing.. Another was accused of sexual assault while he was off duty. Roca was immediately placed on administrative leave as the department conducted an internal investigation. 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. 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. 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. Whos policing the police? he asked. Concepcion said his experience with the HPDs internal affairs system shows that there isnt any accountability within the department. School Holyoke Community College; Course Title ENGLISH 1301; Type. A newly released independent audit of the Holyoke Police Department finds the HPD poses a "substantial risk" to the city it serves. This story is a production of the New England News Collaborative. 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. Roca also suggests the state attorney general or the FBI should look into his claims against Febo and the department. Pratt said that Roca can still present his case to the Civil Service Commission. 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. He has since been suspended for . Holyoke police officer parks in the train station on Main Street on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Our forum rules are detailed in the Community Guidelines. 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. The agency still has not released that data because of the need to clean up and validate the massive data set, according to Zuniga. var sellablestring3 = "STAFF FILE PHOTO"; Coughlin has been living large on his State Police pension of $131,961 a year. (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. 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. I already knew they were going to wait until the last minute, he said. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. When presented with NEPMs findings, Maldonado Velez said the lack of discipline resulting from civilian complaints is just not surprising and not unique to Holyoke. var currentheadline = document.getElementById("headline").innerText; 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. It should be known as Corrupt City," he said in the video. In January, Holyoke settled the police brutality suit against the city and officers for $65,000. Some people who filed a complaint with the HPD said that officers actions impacted their lives long after the alleged misconduct took place. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected the youngest mayor of Holyoke at age 22. Image courtesy by Kate Turner 21. var currentheadline = document.getElementById("headline").innerText; His video, posted Sunday, has been viewed 27,000 times. Roca mentioned the incident in his video over the weekend. John Hart was suspended and fined for losing a department-issued sniper rifle. var sellablestring2 = "STAFF PHOTO"; 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. Bryan Custadio, Fall River Police Department. 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. 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.. 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. 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 . [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 . 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. 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 . 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. 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. That is roughly 75% of minority officers with 8 years or more [of experience] in specialized assignments. Febos statement added, The Holyoke Police Department has a Chief, 2 Lieutenants, and 4 Sergeants who are minority in the department command staff.. The benefits of learning to play READ THE REST. Project Advances, What Happened to the Money?' After nearly a year, Reyes closed the departments investigation of the incident, saying he was unable to reach the man who complained. No civilian complaints data obtained for this agency. 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). Wheres my due process in that?. '"; I stand behind the video and what I said in it.. 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. Who will be eaten first? 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. A newly released independent audit of the Holyoke Police Department found the HPD poses a "substantial risk" to the city it serves. Roca responded saying he already appealed the decision to the Massachusetts Civil Service Commission. Roca said he was suspended for violating the departments social media policy, which bars officers from criticizing the department on social media platforms. During the debate, City Councilor Jos Maldonado Velez referred to the police as a gang., It literally is, he said in the meeting. 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. 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. 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. 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. HOLYOKE - A Holyoke police officer recently released a YouTube video accusing the Holyoke Police Department of corruption. That outcome police officers facing no discipline after a civilian alleges wrongdoing is hardly unique to Concepcions case. That part of the commissions work has yet to materialize either. 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. It's Boston local news in one concise, fun and informative email. 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.
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