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. Audit finds Holyoke Police Department poses 'substantial risk' to city Two of the civilian complaints that NEPM obtained alleged that police violently arrested students in the citys schools. 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. Febo, according to Roca, allegedly promoted a friend to the position of provisional lieutenant. The chief did, however, address several of the allegations Roca made in the video. 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. In 2017, for example, a civilian accused Holyoke police officer Patrick Leahy of putting him through hell for almost a year.. They pick and choose who they want to discipline and who they dont want to discipline.. of Roca said he has already appealed that decision to the states Civil Service Commission. Mount Holyoke College Assistant Vice President for Civil Rights and He was deployed to Bosnia from 2003-2004 where he worked with anti-corruption and security forces. sites. Last August, Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia hired the New. Alex Benjamin Morse (born January 29, 1989) is an American politician who served as the 44th mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts from 2012 to 2021. Tensions soared last fall between some Holyoke residents and the HPD amid a debate in the City Council over the departments desire to purchase the controversial gunfire-location technology ShotSpotter. Bryan Custadio, Fall River Police Department. Murphy didnt have to answer to anybody. 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. The mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts, has broken his silence about an NEPM investigation that revealed the city's police department almost never disciplines officers whom civilians accuse of wrongdoing. 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. 15 Massachusetts law enforcement officers suspended by reform commission 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. will soon post complaints against police officers online. And he said that when he would leave the station during those three weeks, police would pull his car over. For this reason, the Holyoke Police department will have no further comment regarding Mr. Roca or his Case.. Pratt said that Roca can still present his case to the Civil Service Commission. var sellablestring2 = "STAFF PHOTO"; They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system, Roca told Masslive.com on Monday. 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. He also called for the FBI or the state attorney generals office to investigate the department. 234 were here. Service. Holyoke, MA Those who are paying attention to the ever-expanding police state in the land of the free know that the system is set up in such a way that it protects bad cops while punishing the good ones. HOLYOKE Mayor Joshua Garcia announced this week that the city has hired a firm to conduct an audit of the Holyoke Police Department. 540K subscribers in the Bad_Cop_No_Donut community. Roca responded saying he already appealed the decision to the Massachusetts Civil Service Commission. Concepcion said his experience with the HPDs internal affairs system shows that there isnt any accountability within the department. He also called for the FBI or the state attorney generals office to investigate the department. tag_id.innerHTML = ' Buy this Image'; Police Corruption Holyoke, MA : 2020PoliceBrutality - reddit var currentLocation = window.location; Former Brockton RMV manager, driving school owner charged by U.S. Attorney with giving passing test scores to people who failed, Complete Boston payroll for 2022: Your Tax Dollars at Work, Boston drug trafficker set to do 11 years in prison, give up Louis Vuitton bags, feds say, Union drive: Uber, Lyft drivers rally for right to unionize, Boston sees first open race for Suffolk Superior civil court clerk magistrate in nearly 50 years, High school tournaments: Winchester stuns No. license. During the semester however if an accommodation When asked about allegations that the HPD made civilians wait in the police department to file a complaint, he described that as an old-school, tried-and-true tactic of the agencies to keep their complaint level down.. How do cops view themselves and their work? 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. On December 24, 2015 and January 25, 2016, HRD, at the request of the City, sent Yeah they didnt waste any time. He expressed frustration that former Mayor Alex Morse did not do enough to address issues of racism during his tenure. The benefits of learning to play READ THE REST. 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. Cannabis company Trulieve will pay $14,502 after reaching a settlement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration over the death of an employee who worked at Trulieve's Holyoke cultivation site. For example, he characterized it as a workplace where now-former Police Chief Manny Febo favorites were not disciplined despite losing weapons and facing restraining orders, according to the accusations. Audit finds Holyoke Police Department poses 'substantial risk' to city Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Massachusetts Officer Alleges Corruption Within Department (WWLP) - The Holyoke Fire Department was sent to Hampshire and Maple Streets for a car accident on Friday. "Yeah, they didn't waste any time. As for Roca, he said he doesnt regret posting the video or making the allegations. 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. 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. Matthew Moriarty, who handles communications for the department, all failed to answer numerous email and phone messages. Roca then went on to accuse current Holyoke Police Chief, Manny Febo, of being a corrupt police officer. 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. Of the remaining 34 non-minority officers in this group, 18 are in a specialized assignment. Our forum rules are detailed in the Community Guidelines. In his own time, he said that he witnessed classmates incarcerated as part of the school-to-prison pipeline.. He said he felt as though for too long officers have been afraid to speak up and wanted this to change. Last August, Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia hired the New Hampshire-based consulting firm Municipal Resources, Inc., to audit the city's police department. Febo, who plans to retire in July, said he has nothing to hide. Massachusetts officer alleges corruption within department Terrill said that often, complaints arent sustained because civilians have a misperception about what is, and isnt, a violation of department policy. (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 . 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. Holyoke Police Department killed 1 person from 2013-21. But he said other studies have found that civilian review boards have a minimal effect on accountability. var tag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkHolyokePD-hg031021,ph1'); Roca said he did speak to both the attorney generals office and FBI at the same time, but that there was no subsequent follow-up from them. Boing Boing is published under a Creative Commons I already knew they were going to wait until the last minute, he told the newspaper. Holyoke Police Department | Boing Boing The city settled that lawsuit for $65,000 in 2020. 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. All rights reserved, FIRST ALERT: Storm Hitting Greater Boston Live Radar, Updates. if (photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring2) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring3) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring4) > -1) { Daily Hampshire Gazette Contests & Promotions, Daily Hampshire Gazette Evening Top Reads, Daily Hampshire Gazette Weekly Top Stories, Daily Hampshire Gazette Dining & Entertainment, Support the 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. 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. Rafael Roca, 37, uploaded the now viral video early Sunday morning. Not a single person from City Hall or city government reached out at all, he said. 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 . On March 7, Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca posted a video on YouTube alleging racism and corruption by the Holyoke Police Department. He said that Febo and others have stepped in to prevent him from getting jobs with other police departments. Thank you! var photocredit = "'GAZETTE FILE PHOTO' 'Holyoke police officer parks in the train station on Main Street on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. delays new police misconduct database, Dusty Christensen, New England Public Media. 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.. March 9, 2021. It's Boston local news in one concise, fun and informative email. The handwritten log, which tracks civilian and internal complaints against officers and their conclusions, features two entries for Roca. I think it just really supports the theory of nothing is going to happen, nothing is going to change, she said. 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.