He said: The chief saw your video and hes ordering you to take it down, Roca said. Position Type:Staff Full-time. HOLYOKE A Holyoke police officer recently released a YouTube video accusing the Holyoke Police Department of corruption. }. 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. For this reason, the Holyoke Police department will have no further comment regarding Mr. Roca or his Case.. 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. In other words, having the power to question the suspect, having the power to question the officer.. I plan to fight this to the end. 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. When you speak up and when you expose corruption, thats what they do. Holyoke Officer Rafael Roca, a former Marine hired in 2016, said in the 43-minute video . "We cannot expect people to have respect for law and order until we teach respect to those we Thats according to William Terrill, a professor at Arizona State University's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. var sellablestring4 = "GAZETTE FILE PHOTO"; Wheres my due process in that?. var currentheadline = document.getElementById("headline").innerText; ", He calls outgoing Police Chief Manny Febo "corrupt," contending minorities are routinely passed over for upper-tier assignments and disciplined at higher rates. That transparency has been slow to arrive, however. His video, posted Sunday, has been viewed 27,000 times. 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.. One is a female who is being trained to investigate sensitive crimes involving children, females and domestic violence. There are only two officers in this group that are assigned to specialized units. Roca said he was suspended for violating the departments social media policy, which bars officers from criticizing the department on social media platforms. "whether the employee has been guilty of substantial misconduct which adversely affects the public interest by impairing the efficiency of public service." School Comm. Notes. var tag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkRocaHolyokeFiring-hg-111721,ph1'); 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Reminders Publishing. 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. 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 said that Febo and others have stepped in to prevent him from getting jobs with other police departments. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Screenshot from YouTube. March 9, 2021. var tag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkRocaHolyokeFiring-hg-111721,ph2'); 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. Matthew Moriarty, who handles communications for the department, all failed to answer numerous email and phone messages. It's Boston local news in one concise, fun and informative email. But that work hasnt fully gotten off the ground yet. For those reasons, Reyes cleared the officers of violating department policies. 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. They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system, Roca told Masslive.com on Monday. All rights reserved (About Us). }, Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca. That is roughly 75 percent of minority officers with eight years or more in specialized assignments, he said. Roca also said that other officers have not been fired after breaking the law driving drunk, for example losing firearms and other misconduct. The stolen vehicle was later recovered in Hartford, CT and one of the vests and some K9 gear was recovered. A 2020 city report of the top 100 salaries in the city shows that, including school staff, 18 out of the top 20 highest paid city employees that year were police officers. 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 expressed frustration that former Mayor Alex Morse did not do enough to address issues of racism during his tenure. used triad trailer for sale. Twelve of the 46 patrolmen with eight years or more of experience are part of a minority group, and nine of them have specialized positions, Febo wrote. The Holyoke Police Department has a chief, two lieutenants and four sergeants who are minority in the department command staff., Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our. 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. As of 2019, the estimated population was 40,117. var photocredit = photocredit.toUpperCase(); (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. 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. 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. 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. And he said that when he would leave the station during those three weeks, police would pull his car over. tag_id.innerHTML = ''; Valentin, who went on to work as a staffer for U.S. Sens. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Roca also suggests the state attorney general or the FBI should look into his claims against Febo and 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. He has since been suspended for refusing to take the video down. }. He saidthat ultimately there was sufficient cause to terminate Roca. 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). Speaking to the Gazette, he alleged he has worked on grant-funded shifts during which supervisors who were supposed to be working were nowhere to be found the entire shift.. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. 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.. if (photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring2) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring3) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring4) > -1) { tag_id.innerHTML = ''; I stand by the integrity of the men and women of the Holyoke Police Department and I welcome any outside agency that would like to look into any of the alleged allegations from the video, he said in a statement. I stand behind the video and what I said in it. 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. Service. HOLYOKE, Mass One person was killed during a shooting at the Holyoke Mall Saturday night, according to the Hampden County District Attorney's office. v. Civil Service . The incident was fully investigated by previous chief, discipline meted out, and every step was reported publicly at that time, he wrote. 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. I said Im sorry but, respectfully, I refuse to take it down.. Febo, according to Roca, allegedly promoted a friend to the position of provisional lieutenant. Many of those officers all but one of whom are supervisors collected tens of thousands of dollars last year in overtime pay. 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 . But for Concepcion, the man who alleged police abused their authority pulling him over in 2016, thats exactly the kind of work Holyoke and other cities should be doing. The Gazettes coverage of the incident notes that officers attempted to subdue Guyette with a stun gun as he rammed into cars attempting to escape. Daily Hampshire Gazette. 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.. var sellablestring3 = "STAFF FILE PHOTO"; Pratt said that Roca can still present his case to the Civil Service Commission. //var LBtag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkLBRocaHolyokeFiring-hg-111721,ph2'); 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. Ill probably lose my job, but Im good. Roca said that the department is rife with racism. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Concepcion said his experience with the HPDs internal affairs system shows that there isnt any accountability within the department. var sellablestring4 = "GAZETTE FILE PHOTO"; //LBtag_id.innerHTML = ''; var currentheadline = document.getElementById("headline").innerText; Youre supposed to act a certain way, talk a certain way. 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. Officers have. On Nov. 10, then acting mayor Terence Murphy followed that recommendation after a city lawyer determined there was just cause for firing Roca. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Murphy reportedly said he felt no pressure to fire Roca before he left office. 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.
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