When a cop goes bad, solution not always easy

08/27/2007

Elizabeth Benton , Register Staff

Ten years ago, a stash of cocaine and $28,000 disappeared from the evidence room of the Ansonia Police Department in a suspected inside job. After a state police investigation and a grand jury probe, no arrests were made, and years later the case still stands as an example of the sometimes blurred lines between those who enforce the law and those they arrest.

"You’re talking about people. Officers are not perfect, they’re not machines. These things do happen, and they will continue to happen," said Ansonia Police Chief Kevin Hale, president of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association.

In many cities and towns in Connecticut, from the far-reaching narcotics squad scandal in New Haven to snatched seafood in Madison, these things are happening.

When a cop is caught on the wrong side of the law, especially by his own department, punishment can be more than what is meted out in court, and can be felt throughout a department.

"It’s like getting a black eye. Eventually it heals, but when you first get it, how terrible it looks. It’s not nice when you see an officer getting arrested for whatever a crime may be," said the president of New Haven’s police union, Sgt. Louis Cavaliere.

Seymour is a small town of about 16,000 people, with a police force of 45 sworn members, but in the past year and a half, its officers have arrested two of their own men, one on a minor larceny charge that was later dropped, and one in a domestic dispute.

"Nobody wants to arrest one of their own," said Seymour Police Chief Michael Metzler. "We’ve had the state come in, we’ve done our own. We’ve arrested ours more than any other department in the state."

In a small department like Seymour, an arrest that might be a minor blip on the radar of a large department like New Haven, may still be a challenge for the rank and file.

"There are bigger impacts in smaller departments because they are more close-knit," Hale said.

"It’s always awkward. Let’s face it. You work side by side with these individuals," said Seymour Police Union President Officer Joseph DeFelice.

"As police officers, you have a job to do. You’re sworn to uphold the law, whatever it is. And sometimes you have to disassociate yourself with personal feelings and friendships," he said.

In New Haven, with 390 cops and 30 set to graduate this fall, it takes a larger case to cut into department morale.

"If an officer gets arrested in a domestic, it’s not like people have their heads down. The scandal last March, that’s big time," Cavaliere said, referring to allegations that the veteran head of the narcotics squad had stolen thousands in drug money and pocketed illegal kickbacks from bail bondsmen. "That has a chilling effect through the rank and file."

Lt. William "Billy" White, Detective Justen Kasperzyk, and bail bondsmen Robert Jacobs and sons Paul Jacobs and Philip Jacobs were all arrested in the far-reaching probe.

After those arrests, Cavaliere said New Haven cops faced diminished trust on their beats from some who thought "everybody is dirty."

"People say they don’t want to call you cops, that everybody is dirty, everybody is crooked. That hurts big time. People get hit with accusations they don’t deserve," he said.

"People ask should I let [a cop] into my home? Are they going to steal? You’ve got pride, and it does affect your morale."

Recently, the talk has subsided, but if White returns to court, or if something new breaks in the case, Cavaliere said he suspects the public perception may turn again.

In recent years, there have been several notable cases involving local cops.

A Madison officer was accused of stealing shrimp and lobster from a local seafood restaurant while on duty. He was fired in May, and has pleaded innocent to felony and misdemeanor charges.

A West Haven officer was shocked with a Taser stun gun and arrested after a domestic dispute in Milford in 2005. Charges against him were dropped after he complied with court orders. He has since returned to work.

Veteran Seymour detective Bailey Cook pleaded guilty in 2003 to interfering with an investigation into a 2001 triple fatal car crash that ultimately resulted in a multi-million dollar civil judgment against the town.

Cook also faced charges relating to a domestic dispute with his wife, and had been convicted of similar domestic charges in the 1980s.

Cook was also sued by Attorney General Richard Blumenthal in 2003 for allegedly using thousands of dollars from the Seymour Police Athletic League charity on limousine trips, alcohol, and motorcycle parts, among other personal uses.

A New Haven officer was arrested by his own department in 2002 on charges that he conspired with prostitutes in a scam to sustain his crack habit.

Challenges arise not only when an officer is arrested, but if he or she returns to the job.

Seymour Officer Jack Harkins returned to work this spring after an 11-month suspension for using Metzler’s name to receive free repairs on a laptop at a local computer shop. At the time of his disciplinary hearing, he was also facing a fifth-degree larceny charge stemming from allegations lodged by the computer shop owner. That charge has since been dropped.

"He’s doing his job," Metzler said. "He’s got a job to do, and you have to hope he’s going to do that job. Plain and simple."

In a small department, there may be little space to arrange schedules or assignments to avoid potentially touchy subjects.

"You shouldn’t have to be concerned with what cases you send your officers on. In a bigger department, maybe you can absorb something like that. In a department like you see around here, if you’re down an officer, it has an impact on your operations. You shouldn’t have to worry about assigning particular officers to particular cases. If you do, then you obviously have cause for concern," Hale said.

Harkins refused to comment. "It’s over with," he said.

"You can’t dwell," said DeFelice. "Police are scrutinized more than the general public. We’re held to a higher standard. You have to learn to get past all that and focus on the facts. Every case is tried on its merits. The truth shall prevail, and you deal with the situation."

Elizabeth Benton can be reached at 789-5714 or at ebenton@nhregister.com.