Casanova: “Prudent” response.
Police brass Thursday temporarily removed a rookie cop from her beat pending an investigation into whether she violated a department rule against “consort[ing] with hoodlums, criminals or other unsavory characters.”
That was the latest development in an episode that began last weekend in the Annex neighborhood.
Late Saturday night officers arrested a man driving a white Honda Crossover with his lights off — and allegedly carrying large quantities of heroin and crack cocaine. The car belongs to a police officer who graduated from the academy last October; a cop delivered the keys to her home, and she came and retrieved her Honda. The officer was reportedly in a relationship with the alleged dealer, who is the father of her child. Police Chief Dean Esserman ordered an immediate internal affairs investigation Sunday into the incident. Click here for a full story on the incident.
A retired assistant chief subsequently informed the Independent that he had investigated the officer’s relationship with the alleged dealer last year — and warned her to stay away from him — while she was still in the training academy.
The officer has not responded to requests for comment. Her union president, Louis Cavaliere Jr., defended her actions Thursday, saying she has broken off her romantic relationship with the alleged dealer and hadn’t known of his illegal activities.
Wednesday afternoon the officer’s supervisors sent her home early from her walking beat in the Newhallville/East Rock district. She was told to report to 1 Union Ave. Thursday morning for desk duty.
“We thought the prudent thing to do was to put her on administrative duties pending the outcome of the internal investigation,” said Assistant Chief Luiz Casanova.
What’s A “Hoodlum”?
Cavaliere: “Was that written in 1940?”
The investigation is focused in part on the actions of the officers who made the arrest. One question concerns whether the car itself was a “tool” in the commission of a crime, and whether the officers should have released it or had it impounded.
As for the officer who owns the Honda and has been in a relationship with the suspect, investigators will examine section 19 of Rule 15 of the department’s general orders.
“Employees of the Department shall not consort with hoodlums, criminals or other unsavory characters unless such association is specifically required as a matter of police duty,” the section reads.
Cavaliere, the union president, criticized the language of the rule.
“What’s a ‘hoodlum’? What, was that written in 1940?” Cavaliere remarked. “I don’t know what the hell a hoodlum is.”
Cops familiar with the investigation did not immediately recall a similar case recently. In 2003, a lietuenant was arrested and fired after she was found at the scene of a drug bust; she was living in an apartment with a man who was the focus of a three-month investigation.
Michael Lawlor, the governor’s undersecretary for criminal justice policy and planning, called section 19 standard fare in police rule books around the country.
“For a lot of people, judges for example, you have an obligation to avoid the appearance of impropriety. It’s a similar concept. It doesn’t look good. It compromises the integrity of the office” even if the person hasn’t done anything illegal, said Lawlor, who was not familiar with the current New Haven case.
The Officer’s Side
Cavaliere said the union plans to file a complaint about the officer’s temporary assignment, because it bars her from working extra duty or overtime. She needs the extra money to help care for her 3‑year-old daughter, Cavaliere said.
“She’s really hurting now,” Cavaliere said of the officer.
After last year’s warning from top cops, the officer ended the romantic relationship with the alleged dealer, a friend since middle school and later a Yale-new Haven Hospital co-worker; she no longer lives with him, Cavaliere claimed. He said the man now lives with his father.
“She attempted to cut ties as much as she could. Obviously he’s still the father of her baby. So there’s going to be some contact with the guy. In terms of having a romantic relationship, that’s out the door,” Cavaliere said.
As for last Saturday night, the man needed to use the officer’s car to pick up the baby because his own car was broken, according to Cavaliere. The officer had no knowledge of the ride he took later that night when officers allegedly found him with four “eight-balls” of crack, each of which can be repackaged into 50 to 75 bags for street-level sales, and four eight-balls of heroin.
If the ex was dealing drugs, the officer wasn’t reaping any financial benefit, Cavaliere said. He said she hasn’t received “a dime” from him and therefore has been struggling financially, applying for state help to pay some bills: “She’s living week by week. Her mother’s trying to help her. When you listen to her talk, she’s a very intelligent girl. She’s not mean. She was very sincere.”
Courtesy, Yes; Politicking, No
Rule 15 has 43 sections describing conduct officers must follow or face “reprimand, suspension, reduction in rank or grade, or … dismissal.” Some include:
• “All employees of the Department must be punctual in their attendance …”
• “All employees of this Department shall answer questions from citizens in a courteous manner and if unable to supply an answer, shall make every effort to obtain the answer for the citizen, avoiding argument and unnecessary conversation. if requested, a member of the Department shall give his or her name or badge number in a courteous manner to any person who so requests.”
• “Employees of the Department shall not engage in political activity in behalf of, or against, any candidate or political question. Employees of the Department shall have the right to entertain political or partisan opinion, to express same freely when such expression shall not effect the discharge of official duties and to exercise the right of election franchise. No employee of the Department shall be a delegate or representative to any political convention held for the nomination of candidate officers or be a candidate for or hold elective public office.”
• “… When off duty, employees of the Department shall not drink intoxicating beverages to an extent that it would render one unfit when reporting for duty.”
• “No employee of the Department shall smoke while in uniform while involved in a complaint, performing traffic control or otherwise in contact with public. Officers assigned to foot patrol shall not smoke while on street patrol.”
• “Except in the line of duty employees of the Department shall not visit or loiter near any bar, tavern, lounge or other establishment suspected by police as being a place of actual or probably law violations or a place that is frequented by known hoodlums or other unsavory characters.”
• “During his or her tour of duty, employees of the Department shall not loiter in cafes, saloons, restaurants, drive-in theaters, service stations or other public places, except for the purpose of police business …”
• “No employee of the Department shall recommend to any prisoner the employment of any person as bondsperson, attorney or counsel.”
• “No employee of the Department shall under any circumstances whatsoever loan money or borrow money from or otherwise become indebted to, directly or indirectly any other member of the Department.”
For the past five years, the department has been in the process of updating all its general orders. Sgt. Rose Dell is currently the officer assigned to that task. Assistant Chief Al Vazquez, who oversees the effort, said the department plans to combine updated general orders, standard operating procedures, special directives, and training bulletins into a single duty manual.
Cavaliere called the update overdue. Especially the update of Rule 15.
“That rule was written so long ago, it’s so outdated, that thing is like antique. That’s their blanket. Any time somebody does something wrong, it’s 15. Neglect of duty. Subordination. Everything is under Rule 15,” he said. “Anything you do it seems you’re in violation of it. They can break you for anything! …
“There’s some wording in there you scratch your head and wonder, what does that mean? Who uses ‘hoodlum’ anymore?”
Previous coverage of this story:
• Cop Was Warned About Companion’s Dealing
• Cop’s Connection To Drug Arrest Sparks IA Probe