Fired
Florida Cop: We Don't Ticket Lawmakers
LAWSUIT OVER DISMISSAL ALLEGES UNSPOKEN RULE
(NEWSER) – Florida state trooper Charles Swindle says he was
"trying to be nice" when he gave state lawmaker Charles McBurney a
$10 ticket for failing to show proof of insurance, instead of one for going
87mph in a 70mph. "I'm cutting you a break on this one," he told him.
But McBurney didn't see it that way. He complained to Swindle's superiors,
saying he was never speeding in the first place, and got Swindle fired, the
Miami Herald reports. Now, Swindle is fighting to get his job back—and
revealing an unflattering highway patrol secret in the process.
Swindle is accusing the patrol of having a standing policy
of not ticketing lawmakers, because they determine its budget. "This
stinks," Swindle's attorney says. "The FHP can’t have it both ways,
with a policy of discretion to cut breaks to legislators who are speeding and
then turn around and fire them." But a patrol spokesman says the story is
"horse hockey," and that there is no such policy
N.
Versailles cop charged in accident
A North Versailles Township cop is charged with leaving the
scene of an accident.
Thomas Nee reportedly hit two vehicles on Wednesday at
approximately 2 a.m. along Overhill Drive, and left the scene. Nee was off duty
when the incident occurred.
Township resident Paul Saula said he heard the call for a
hit-and-run on the scanner that night and noticed the vehicle police were
looking for was the same type as Nee drives.
“The next morning I took a ride over there,” he said. “I
drove by Cop Nee's house and his black SUV was not there.”
Saula said he went to the McKeesport home of a relative of
Nee and saw the black SUV in the driveway with front-end damage. He said his
brother Russell, who is the North Versailles Township police commissioner, was
with him.
Paul Saula said his brother contacted North Versailles
Police Chief Vincent DiCenzo Jr., who contacted Nee on Thursday. He said Nee
admitted to the accident and said he was returning to talk to the vehicle
owners.
DiCenzo said Nee fell asleep behind the wheel and the cop
was cited on Thursday.
“He is charged with leaving the scene of an accident,” the
police chief said. “It's a summary violation. We've done everything by law that
we can do. We treated it like any other accident. Anything else will be handled
by the township.”
“It's under investigation,” township board president George
Thompson said. “I'm going to have a personnel meeting on Monday to discuss it
and see what approach we should take with it. I don't have all the details and
I've not spoken with the cop yet.”
Paul Saula said Nee's girlfriend had her license recalled
for a medical reason and she's been driving without one. He said he has it on
videotape.
Paul Saula said Nee has told him through Thompson that he
will be cited for stalking if he keeps following his girlfriend.
DiCenzo said Nee's girlfriend does have a license and
citations written against the woman were dismissed by Magisterial District
Judge Robert Barner because technically, her license wasn't suspended.
Manchester
cop charged with Bedford hit-and-run
Hillsborough County Attorney Patricia M. LaFrance announced
Tuesday that Manchester Police Sgt. Stephen Coco, 41, of Bedford, turned
himself into Bedford police who obtained a warrant for his arrest on two felony
counts of conduct after an accident. Coco is accused of being behind the wheel
of a Manchester police undercover vehicle when he hit two teenage boys from
behind outside 31 Harrod Lane, Bedford, and then fled the scene. LaFrance said
Coco was off-duty at the time. (Pat Grossmith/New Hampshire Union Leader)
Detective
arrested in hit-and-run had been visiting at fellow cop's home
UPDATE: Former Manchester Sgt. Stephen Coco, turned himself
in on two felony warrants charging him with conduct after an accident and was
arraigned early Tuesday morning in 9th Circuit Court District Division in
Merrimack.
Hillsborough County Attorney Patricia LaFrance, at a press
conference this morning at Bedford Police Department, said two teenage boys,
ages 17 and 18, were struck from behind by an undercover police vehicle
allegedly operated by Coco near 31 Harrod Lane. Coco was off duty at the time,
LaFrance said.
LaFrance said a mugshot for Coco will not be released as
doing so might post a risk to him as a former undercover cop assigned to the
Special Investigations Unit.
Coco, 41, of Bedford lives about a mile away from the
accident scene, she said. Both teens were released from the hospital and are
recovering from their injuries.
Coco was fired Monday after an internal investigation
conducted by Manchester police revealed he had violated several of the
department's standard operating procedures, according to Manchester Police
Chief David Mara.
BEDFORD — The county's top prosecutor said she hopes an
arrest warrant will be issued in the next two days in connection with a
hit-and-run accident Friday night involving a Manchester police undercover
vehicle.
Meanwhile, Manchester police announced that police Sgt.
Stephen Coco, a 17 1/2-year veteran on the force, had been fired from his
$84,000-a-year job Monday afternoon following an internal investigation into
the accident. Police Chief David Mara said Coco, a member of a drug
investigation unit, had been assigned the vehicle involved in the accident.
An internal affairs investigation found Coco had violated
several police procedures, Mara said.
The hit-and-run accident took place about 9:20 p.m. Friday
on Harrod Lane, a quiet residential street of about a dozen homes in south
Bedford. Two pedestrians were injured, one with what Bedford police initially
described as "serious head trauma."
Hillsborough County Attorney Patricia LaFrance said a 17-
and 18-year-old male were both treated at a hospital, but have since been sent
home.
"They're both very fortunate they did not sustain
life-threatening injury," LaFrance said.
She said her office is consulting with Bedford police, which
is investigating the accident. Information about the accident will be released
once an arrest warrant is issued. LaFrance said she hopes an arrest will be
made within a couple of days, but stressed it depends on the pace of the
investigation.
"This case, obviously because it involves an off-duty
Manchester cop, we want to make sure people understand there's no favoritism.
We're investigating this as we would any conduct-after-an-accident and we want
the public aware of that," she said.
Once an arrest is made, LaFrance plans to refer the case to
a prosecutor outside of Hillsborough County to avoid any perception of
favoritism, she said.
State law makes it a felony not to report an accident that
results in bodily injury.
LaFrance on Monday would not name the victims or discuss
their injuries. She would not say whom authorities believe was driving the
vehicle. Nor would she say how many people were in the vehicle.
She said the vehicle has been impounded by Bedford police.
LaFrance said police are also investigating why the vehicle was in the
neighborhood at the time.
This is not Coco's first involvement with Bedford police. In
2004, authorities investigated his shooting and killing of an unleashed Belgian
shepherd-chow mix after he said it rushed at him and his two pre-school-age
daughters in Pulpit Rock Park in Bedford.
Coco shot the dog three times with his service-issued, .40
caliber handgun. An investigation cleared him of any crime in the shooting.
Mara said an internal investigation was opened early
Saturday morning.
The unmarked, undercover vehicle was assigned to Coco, Mara
said. He said Manchester police are cooperating with Bedford police in their
investigation into the accident.
Manchester police, he said, are "greatly saddened to
learn of this terrible incident and our thoughts and prayers remain with the
victims and their families."
Former
Detroit police lieutenant faces perjury charge
Bill Rice accused of lying under oath in connection with
testimony in quadruple murder case
A former Detroit police homicide lieutenant was arraigned
Wednesday on a perjury charge for allegedly lying under oath in a quadruple
murder case.
Bill Rice, 63, was arraigned in 36th District Court.
Prosecutors say Rice testified in a 2009 evidentiary hearing
as a defense alibi witness.
Davontae Sanford was charged in 2007 in the slayings of four
people when he was 14 years old. Sanford pleaded guilty, but his lawyer sought
to withdraw the plea.
The state Appeals Court sent the case back to the lower
court, where Rice testified.
Rice and Cheryl Sanford, Davontae Sanford's aunt, were
charged last year with conducting a criminal enterprise.
They also are accused of providing false information on
property to obtain federal funds to quality for mortgages.
"Bill is trying, as you know, every time he leaves his
house there is cameras and media everywhere. So he's taking it one day at a
time, continuing to live his life and not worry about it too much," said
Rice's attorney, Tiffany McEvans.
The perjury case will continue in May. Meanwhile, Rice has
no comment to make about the charge.
Clinton cop charged with assault was fired in 2010
Possible
West Valley police misconduct prompts dismissal of 19 court cases
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (ABC 4 News) - 19 criminal cases are
being dismissed by Salt Lake County District Attorney because of possible
illegal actions of a West Valley police detective. That unnamed detective is
currently under investigation.
"The West Valley Police Department understands that
conducting these types of investigations is part of maintaining the public's
trust," said Sgt. Jason Hauer, West Valley Police Spokesperson.
The investigation police are referring stems from Salt
County District Attorney Sim Gill. Wednesday Gill dismissed 19 court cases all
tied to possible misconduct from one West Valley police detective.
"These cases were dismissed today because this person
has been identified as the lead cop there," said Sim Gill, Salt Lake
County District Attorney.
The District Attorney wouldn't tell ABC 4 which detective
he's talking about, but said once his office started looking at the paperwork
they couldn't trust the evidence submitted in the detective’s reports. So they
threw them out, 19 cases all together, mostly dealing with drug crimes.
"The evidence may be compromised and that's really what
we're suggesting here," said Gill.
Gill said the detective is currently being investigated and
could face criminal charges. West Valley Police were the first the notice the
issue, and they want to reassure people the detective is the only cop facing
these allegations.
"The acts of one cop don't represent the many in this
police department," said Hauer.
West Valley police tell ABC 4 the detective at the center of
this misconduct is on administrative leave.