Police, problems and policy
That Meriden (Conn.) police filed a complaint
against an officer after he told the truth about alleged brutality only speaks
to the deep dysfunction within the department.
Buddy Gibbs says the police chief's son, Officer Evan Cossette, at
first influenced Gibbs' statements during an internal affairs review of the
Pedro Temich jail cell incident. Gibbs, now retired, claims Cossette told him
just to repeat the version of events contained in the report, which is what
Gibbs did. He told IA that Temich was heavily intoxicated, resisted commands
and took a step forward before Cossette pushed him back into a holding cell,
causing the handcuffed prisoner to fall and hit his head on a concrete bench.
But Gibbs changed his story after federal investigators began
looking into allegations that police brutality involving the chief's son had
been covered up. Gibbs told the grand jury and the city's own investigator that
Temich had made no threatening movements before he was pushed. For telling the
truth, Gibbs says union officials and the chief retaliated against him. He
became the subject of a departmental IA complaint into
"untruthfulness" on account of making his initial statements conform
to Officer Cossette’s report.
"Gibbs has constantly been told . . . that he has a target on
his back and that the Chief has stated he will fire Gibbs. This is clear
retaliation for aiding a criminal defendant to uphold his constitutional
rights," Gibb's attorney wrote in a notice of intent to sue the city last
month.
If Chief Cossette did in fact play a role in initiating the
untruthfulness complaint, as Gibbs claims, it would be a serious conflict of
interest since the statements at issue deal directly with his son's conduct.
The chief has said, when it comes to matters involving his son, he has a strict
hands-off policy, deferring instead to other administrators. The question of
whether he actually observed such a policy is central to the allegations facing
the department.
By leaving the chief in a position where he can discipline or
investigate officers who cooperate with the grand jury, the city risks
compromising the federal investigation and exposing itself to further
liability, as the Gibbs lawsuit illustrates.
It's easy to see how the complaint against Gibbs could be viewed
as punishment for cooperating with the feds. But just for the sake of argument,
let's say you did think it was a good idea to investigate Gibbs over whether he
lied to internal affairs. Why not also investigate the allegation that the
chief's son influenced the statements of a fellow officer to protect himself?
It's time for the city manager and members of the City Council to
deal with the problems of their police department. They can start by making
sure nothing impedes the federal investigation or exposes taxpayers to further
liability.
Meriden needs strong voices on this issue, politicians who aren't
afraid to hold the department accountable for the many troubling allegations it
faces. To date, city councilors have mostly deferred to the city manager, who
defers to a long-awaited report from the lawyer the city hired to investigate.
It's hard to imagine someone like Nick Economopoulos or Craig
Fishbein — the bipartisan team of Wallingford town councilors who helped
address mismanagement in that town's housing authority — reacting so passively
to comparable allegations against their own police department.
No, I'm pretty sure they'd have some very pointed questions and
wouldn't be shy about voicing their concerns.
Meriden could use that kind of leadership right about now.
Had enough? Write to the Speaker of the House, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 and demand federal
hearings into the police problem in America.
Demand mandatory body cameras for cops, one strike rule on abuse, and a
permanent DOJ office on Police
Misconduct.