The chief faced criticism soon after the May 29, 2020 retirement party for Sgt. Residents complained on May 29, 2020, that Southold Police ignored calls that a large number of people were partying at a Cutchogue tree farm owned by former police Sgt. As a full service department we maintain a Detective Division, Marine Division, and Juvenile Aid Bureau as well as a Highway Patrol and K-9 Units. Policing and Youth, Prevention, Parent Support and School Resource Officers Page 38-39 Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell declined to confirm reports that Flatley was the employee that the town suspended on August 9 as the board ramps up its probe of the alleged mishandling of the party, but he did confirm that Ginas is currently serving as police chief. '', The statement said the board ''remains firm in its belief that all of the facts, including some information that was not before the jury, show that the officer acted reasonably under the circumstances.''. Looking to comment on this article? Specifically, Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley, while "not finding Lake to be the worst performer in the department, had received certain civilian complaints painting petitioner to be overaggressive and overzealous in his use of police tactics in conducting vehicle traffics stops, searches and arrests," the court's first decision read. 21, 2023, 6:58 p.m. | Under the terms of the agreement, Officer Jernick also agreed to waive his right to be considered for any promotions for the next five years and a letter of reprimand will be permanently placed in his personnel file. SOUTHOLD, NY A fired Suffolk County "Top Cop" who has long maintained that he was wrongfully dismissed will have his day in court. Asked about allegations by Mr. Mims and other black residents of Greenport that some town police officers harassed them, Ms. Finnegan, the lawyer, said the town ''recognized that one can have a good-faith perception about something that is not grounded in objective fact. ''They need to inquire into what happened and make sure it never happens again.''. The Suffolk Times reported in August that the Town Board took disciplinary action against five town employees in the aftermath of the investigation and how the department handled phone calls from the public about the retirement party. Specifically, the Appellate Division held that Mr. Lake had submitted sufficient evidence of wrongful termination so as to entitle him to a trial of the issues. Southold 7555 Main Road Steven Witzke. The Southold Town Police Department takes pride in its role as a citizen of the community partnering with town government to ensure the delivery of quality law enforcement services. Witnesses interviewed by a reporter at the time estimated that upwards of 150 people attended the event, which included bagpipers and a professional fireworks show. As a penalty, Officer Jernick was required to forfeit 30 sick leave accruals, which may not be reaccumulated for payment purposes and he has been placed on a departmental probation until Dec. 31, 2025. The Town Board said in a statement that it was disappointed with the damage award but ''very pleased that the charges of civil-rights violations, racial bias and excessive force'' had been ''unconditionally rejected by the jury and the court. The petition also stated that after applying to be rehired by the Southampton Town Police Department, Lake could not be offered a position because Southold Town did not "offer a reason for his termination of employment" and it would need to be investigated. The Suffolk Times has submitted a freedom of information request to obtain those findings, which have not yet been made public. Shes a Riverhead native and 2015 graduate of Arcadia University. The Supreme Court upheld a complaint by fired Southold. Oops something went wrong: The Southold Town Board on Monday will reinstate police Chief Martin Flatley, who was suspended indefinitely without pay in August after a two-year investigation into the department's handling of community complaints about a retirement party for one of its sergeants. The fifth employee number is not included on the list of union officers or another resolution in 2015 granting the employee maternity leave. Rubio Warns About Dangerous Playbook Dems Are Following in Relation to Trump and His Supporters. Furthermore, Flatley testified that Lake did not always deploy his body microphone as required by departmental protocol, thus when civilian complaints were lodged against him for unjustified or overly aggressive use of police action, respondent could not rely on footage to corroborate or refute the lodged complaints.". The Louisville Metro Police Department said Officer Nickolas Wilt was shot in the head while responding to a mass shooting on April 10. Mental Health and Wellness of the Officer Page 6-7 IV. Because the appellate division decision is not a final order and only remands the matter back to the trial court, we cannot appeal the decision as of right. 911 Dispatchers Page 34 XIII. "They've told us it's troubling, but as somebody who lives in the community, I would like to know what happened.". We will ultimately determine if discipline is warranted, and to what extent that discipline should be.. Reached via text message Wednesday, Capt. The town board accepted the recommendation and voted for Lake's dismissal. The department operates a Communications / Dispatch Center which encompasses most of the North Fork of Long Island by receiving 9-1-1 calls and dispatching for two police departments and eight fire departments. Several residents told The Suffolk Times that they had contacted police about the party claims that were verified through cell phone records but no official police reports were generated by the department. The Southold Town Board suspended one of those employees without pay, but officials have not released the names of any of the individuals involved. During Tuesdays meeting, East Marion resident Jordan Silbert pressed the town for an update on the findings and criticized the board for not taking action sooner. He would not say where he and his family were going. The jury, which had no black members, cleared Officer Zuhoski and a second Southold policeman, Sgt. The Southold Town Board suspended one of those employees without pay, but officials have not released the names of any of the individuals involved. Police Chief Carlisle Cochran referred questions to Ms. Finnegan, who confirmed that Officer Zuhoski remained on active duty and was ''fully performing all of his assigned duties.''. Members of the board deemed his report insufficient. On Friday, White said the woman and a Detroit police officer were engaged in a struggle over a gun inside a home on the 15700 block of Meyers Road on the city's west side when three other officers . Steven Zuhoski. Witzke, who has been a police officer in Southold for over a decade, is one of five town employees facing disciplinary action after an investigation into the police departments response to community complaints about a May 2020 retirement party for one of its officers that violated social distancing protocols in place at the time. Rather, we have to make a motion to the appellate division to seek leave to appeal to the court of appeals. Steven Zuhoski, in violation of New York State social distancing mandates that were in effect during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. James Ginas is now the acting chief, a source confirmed. Five Southold town employees are under investigation related to a probe into a May 2020 retirement party for a police sergeant, which violated social distancing rules during the pandemic. Mr. Spota has also declined to ask for a prosecutor from another jurisdiction. Got a hot tip for our calendar? Chief Flatley faced further criticism from the Town Board upon filing his own investigation into the departments response in June 2020. Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell says he wants the situation behind them and it's time to focus on the future. Chief Flatley, who was set to earn a salary of more than $215,000 in 2022, faced further criticism from the Town Board upon filing his own investigation into the departments response in June 2020. Officer Jernick admitted to the allegations as part of the agreement signed Jan. 5 and has been returned to the force as a member of the relief squad required to work 260 days per calendar year through 2025, according to the settlement. 158 people in Florida affected by tornadoes surely falls into. The sum is raised to $111,506 once the employee crosses 12 years in the force. La Vergne Police Department Officers Larry Holloday, Patrick Magliocco and Gavin Schoeberl have been suspended, they said. But he said last week he questioned the allegations by Mr. Mimms, who has a. Three Laredo police officers have been indefinitely suspended in relation to the voter fraud in the District II . We anticipate the proceeding moving forward and having Mr. Lake's meritorious claims of wrongful termination resolved at trial.". James Ginas was named acting chief as an investigation heats up into the departments alleged quashing of complaints over an officers retirement party. Town Hall 53095 Route 25PO Box 1179 Southold, NY 11971631-765-1800, Town Hall Annex 54375 Route 25Southold, NY 11971. "That report was given to our elected officials about a month ago and we still don't know what's in that report," said Jordan Silbert of East Marion. Supreme Court Justice William G. Ford, in the court's first ruling, said the town maintained Lake's dismissal was due to "poor or problematic performance.". Their calls were verified through cell phone call histories. All Rights Reserved. Officer Richard Jernick III, who was suspended without pay through Town Board resolution in December, faced possible termination of his employment for alleged various acts of neglect of duty or dereliction in the performance of official duty, acts of disobedience or acts of delinquency that may have seriously affected Officer Jernicks general character and fitness for the job, the settlement agreement states. He says hearings are scheduled to consider disciplinary action against four other town employees still under investigation because of the response to the retirement party, but the town cannot release the larger report into the investigations before the pending hearings. April 24, 2023 at 5:22 p.m. Experts Warn Senator That Abortion By Mail Puts Women At Risk, The Lefts Plan for Hostile Takeover of Supreme Court, Montana Bans TikTok, Transgender Treatment on Minors to keep Kids Safe, An Historical Tiny Town | Long Island Weekly, In this article, Ms. Hathaway says we know that no two pregnancies are alike, and it follows that no two, FEMA is supposed to send Federal help to disaster areas. Southold Town officials may announce disciplinary charges after reviewing an investigative report prompted by a May 2020 retirement party for a police officer that violated state regulations. "We have a set of rules and everybody plays by those set of rules. The resident, meanwhile, has left town, saying he feared for his life. Lake properly treated the arrest similarly to all other arrests and did not afford the fire chief 'special treatment,'" the petition said. Supervisor Russell said the board wants to move as quickly as possible on this matter, but it hasn't felt that way to some Southold residents. Our department celebrated three retirements yesterday afternoon with a traditional walkout ceremony at our headquarters, the chief wrote in a May 30, 2020 email following up with the reporter.

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