var sellablestring2 = "STAFF PHOTO"; Nine of those 12 are in specialized assignments other than patrol operations. Yeah they didnt waste any time. They took my gun and my badge and kicked me out of the email system," Roca said on Monday,according to MassLive. He said he was in the hospital due to stress from the situation. Holyoke Police Department | Holyoke MA 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. 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. He said minority candidates get passed over for top positions, as detectives or supervisors. During the debate, City Councilor Jos Maldonado Velez referred to the police as a gang., It literally is, he said in the meeting. 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. Reyes, Police Chief David Pratt and Capt. Roca also alleged that he has been the subject of retaliation for speaking out about misconduct in the department. Not to stop anyone., Terrill said the best practice is to allow civilians to file complaints against officers in multiple venues in-person oronline, like the POST Commission now allows on its website and to be able to do so anonymously. var photocredit = "'SCREENSHOT/YOUTUBE' 'Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca. The stolen vehicle was later recovered in Hartford, CT and one of the vests and some K9 gear was recovered. if (photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring2) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring3) > -1 || photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring4) > -1) { 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.. 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. ", Police departments in America have a lot of unnecessary military hardware, thanks to sweetheart deals between legislators and arms dealers that allow for layers of creative financial accounting as long READ THE REST, Here's how creator Johnny Damm explains the project: Can policing be reformed? 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. 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. One complaint for rudeness was not sustained by an investigation. Howie Carr: What's so urgent in Holbrook, Mr. Speaker? Murphy said that Roca had been on paid leave for eight months, and that the city needed to resolve that matter. He was deployed to Bosnia from 2003-2004 where he worked with anti-corruption and security forces. 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. Thank you! Theyre there to protect each other, to look out for each other, and to come out with force in our community. Its not clear and it doesnt exist. He alleged that later, somebody who had been arrested tipped police off to the rifles location in an effort to receive leniency in court. Valentin, who went on to work as a staffer for U.S. Sens. Use our free directory to instantly connect with verified Police Misconduct attorneys. Febo responded with a statement that noted that, of the total 29 minority officers on the force, there are roughly 75 [percent] of minority officers with [eight] years [of experience] or more who focus on specialized assignments. Of non-minority police officers with eight years or more of experience, 53 percent focus on specialized assignments, according to Febo. Whos policing the police? he asked. Holyoke police officers arrived at the mall just before 7:00 p.m. for a report of shots fired. The attorney generals office declined to comment on Tuesday. Coughlin has been living large on his State Police pension of $131,961 a year. Roca said he also plans to file a lawsuit over his treatment. 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. tag_id.innerHTML = ''; 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. Yeah, they didnt waste any time. He was also advised that he is not to respond to his own complaints while off duty., Lastly, Febo responded to Rocas claim that minority officers are not given opportunities for specialized assignments. Of those 18 officers, eight made more than $200,000. 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. He said: The chief saw your video and hes ordering you to take it down, Roca said. HOLYOKE, Mass. var sellablestring4 = "GAZETTE FILE PHOTO"; 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. N/A civilian complaints of police misconduct. var sellablestring2 = "STAFF PHOTO"; Holyoke police officer Rafael Roca alleges there iscorruption and racism in the Holyoke Police Department. As of 2019, the estimated population was 40,117. So Romero arrested him for assault and battery on a police officer. 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. Alex Benjamin Morse (born January 29, 1989) is an American politician who served as the 44th mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts from 2012 to 2021. license except where otherwise noted. If that doesn't work, move to step 2: literally shoot the messenger 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. var sellablestring = "GAZETTE STAFF"; Ill probably lose my job, but Im good. This story is a production of the New England News Collaborative. They pick and choose who they want to discipline and who they dont want to discipline.. 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. It should be known as Corrupt City," he said in the video. 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. That transparency has been slow to arrive, however. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Reminders Publishing. But that work hasnt fully gotten off the ground yet. Though he mentioned no names in the video, one incident Roca referred to occurred in September 2011, when police Sgt. Roca was immediately placed on administrative leave as the department conducted an internal investigation. Internal affairs is corrupt as can be, Roca said in his video. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. But some will be missing, Mass. Rocas video has reached over 50,000 views. The driver, who officers alleged smelled of alcohol and had slurred speech, turned out to be a lieutenant with the Holyoke Fire Department. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 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. Schedule an appointment online for a New LTC / Firearms license. 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.. [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 . 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. 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. The Hampden District Attorney's Office told NEPM it was unable to confirm this report or comment on it without more information, like the name of the defendant, which was redacted from the public records response. 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 . Service, a Creative Commons "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. The other officer was chosen specifically due to his extensive knowledge and expertise in firearms, he is assigned to the ATF task force, he said.
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