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Police Mum After Officer Loses Gun
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Police Mum After Officer Loses Gun
By KEITH MORELLI and LENNY SAVINO The Tampa Tribune
Published: Sep 20, 2002
TAMPA - A Tampa police officer is under investigation after he inadvertently left his loaded 9 mm handgun on the roof of a patrol car last week and drove off.
The officer, Patrick J. Gray, did not discover his pistol missing from the roof until about 15 minutes after leaving the department's downtown garage, said Sgt. Joe Durkin, a department spokesman.
The semiautomatic weapon was lost Sept. 11. Although the department acknowledged the gun could have slid off the roof and posed a danger to the community, especially a child, police did not issue a public warning. Police confirmed the gun's loss when a Tribune reporter asked about the incident Wednesday.
Tampa Police Chief Bennie Holder and Gray declined to comment through Durkin.
Police speculate the 9 mm handgun fell off the cruiser's roof in or near the department's downtown parking garage - accessible only to officers and department employees.
``Our concern is locating the weapon,'' Durkin said.
He said no public alert was issued because investigators thought the gun would be found in the garage by an officer and returned. The feeling, Durkin said, is that the Glock ``is not out there on the street.''
But police departments across the country were alerted in case it is found in another jurisdiction.
``I was hoping it would have turned up by now,'' said Sgt. Robert Dubose, who is investigating the incident. ``It's just an unfortunate thing.''
Gray has not been formally disciplined during his seven years on the job, Durkin said. Sept. 11, he was on a traffic detail with his police motorcycle during the Flags Along the Bayshore - Tampa Remembers 9-11 tribute on Bayshore Boulevard.
Like thousands of others in attendance, he was soaked by the heavy rain.
Gray went to exchange his motorcycle for a patrol car at the department's parking garage, next to police headquarters on Franklin Street. The patrol car was parked on the third floor.
``He got drenched,'' Durkin said. ``He took off his gun belt [and] put it on the roof of the car next to the light bar.''
Gray put some equipment on the back seat to dry before getting in the car and driving off. He left his fully loaded Glock-17 and holster on the roof.
On patrol about 15 minutes later, the 36-year-old officer realized he was missing his weapon.
And just like that, the $400 department-issued handgun was gone, Durkin said. Gray told his supervisor and then retraced his drive from the garage with no luck. Other officers joined the search, which included the police garage, Durkin said.
Department officials issued a memo to personnel, asking for the gun's return.
The department's internal affairs unit is not investigating the case because there is no apparent criminal intent, Durkin said.
Gray could face disciplinary charges for improper care and maintenance of equipment. More than likely, Durkin said, a note will be placed in Gray's personnel file and no other action will be taken.
If the gun is not recovered, Gray will have to pay for it, Durkin said. The officer has been issued a replacement.
``It's not like P.J. Gray to misplace his weapon,'' the sergeant said.
Reports of police losing their guns are not that unusual.
In June, a Kentucky state trooper's pistol was recovered from a 16-year-old boy after he fled a traffic stop. The trooper told authorities he did not realize the gun was missing from his home.
In March, a 14-year-old Texas boy accidentally shot another boy with a police officer's handgun that had been left in the back of the officer's truck. In 1998, a Florida Highway Patrol lieutenant stationed in Tampa left her shotgun on the bumper of her police car and lost it.
Two years before that, a Miami police officer's pistol left in his hotel room was taken by a friend who used it to take his girlfriend hostage before fatally shooting her.
Information from Tribune wires was used in this report. Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7698. Lenny Savino can be reached at (813) 259-7567.
http://news.tbo.com/news/MGA73AJ5A6D.html
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
By KEITH MORELLI and LENNY SAVINO The Tampa Tribune
Published: Sep 20, 2002
TAMPA - A Tampa police officer is under investigation after he inadvertently left his loaded 9 mm handgun on the roof of a patrol car last week and drove off.
The officer, Patrick J. Gray, did not discover his pistol missing from the roof until about 15 minutes after leaving the department's downtown garage, said Sgt. Joe Durkin, a department spokesman.
The semiautomatic weapon was lost Sept. 11. Although the department acknowledged the gun could have slid off the roof and posed a danger to the community, especially a child, police did not issue a public warning. Police confirmed the gun's loss when a Tribune reporter asked about the incident Wednesday.
Tampa Police Chief Bennie Holder and Gray declined to comment through Durkin.
Police speculate the 9 mm handgun fell off the cruiser's roof in or near the department's downtown parking garage - accessible only to officers and department employees.
``Our concern is locating the weapon,'' Durkin said.
He said no public alert was issued because investigators thought the gun would be found in the garage by an officer and returned. The feeling, Durkin said, is that the Glock ``is not out there on the street.''
But police departments across the country were alerted in case it is found in another jurisdiction.
``I was hoping it would have turned up by now,'' said Sgt. Robert Dubose, who is investigating the incident. ``It's just an unfortunate thing.''
Gray has not been formally disciplined during his seven years on the job, Durkin said. Sept. 11, he was on a traffic detail with his police motorcycle during the Flags Along the Bayshore - Tampa Remembers 9-11 tribute on Bayshore Boulevard.
Like thousands of others in attendance, he was soaked by the heavy rain.
Gray went to exchange his motorcycle for a patrol car at the department's parking garage, next to police headquarters on Franklin Street. The patrol car was parked on the third floor.
``He got drenched,'' Durkin said. ``He took off his gun belt [and] put it on the roof of the car next to the light bar.''
Gray put some equipment on the back seat to dry before getting in the car and driving off. He left his fully loaded Glock-17 and holster on the roof.
On patrol about 15 minutes later, the 36-year-old officer realized he was missing his weapon.
And just like that, the $400 department-issued handgun was gone, Durkin said. Gray told his supervisor and then retraced his drive from the garage with no luck. Other officers joined the search, which included the police garage, Durkin said.
Department officials issued a memo to personnel, asking for the gun's return.
The department's internal affairs unit is not investigating the case because there is no apparent criminal intent, Durkin said.
Gray could face disciplinary charges for improper care and maintenance of equipment. More than likely, Durkin said, a note will be placed in Gray's personnel file and no other action will be taken.
If the gun is not recovered, Gray will have to pay for it, Durkin said. The officer has been issued a replacement.
``It's not like P.J. Gray to misplace his weapon,'' the sergeant said.
Reports of police losing their guns are not that unusual.
In June, a Kentucky state trooper's pistol was recovered from a 16-year-old boy after he fled a traffic stop. The trooper told authorities he did not realize the gun was missing from his home.
In March, a 14-year-old Texas boy accidentally shot another boy with a police officer's handgun that had been left in the back of the officer's truck. In 1998, a Florida Highway Patrol lieutenant stationed in Tampa left her shotgun on the bumper of her police car and lost it.
Two years before that, a Miami police officer's pistol left in his hotel room was taken by a friend who used it to take his girlfriend hostage before fatally shooting her.
Information from Tribune wires was used in this report. Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7698. Lenny Savino can be reached at (813) 259-7567.
http://news.tbo.com/news/MGA73AJ5A6D.html
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Comments
Associated Press
Sept. 19, 2002 09:25:00
Apache Junction has agreed to pay $1.65 million to the family of a teenager who was fatally shot by one of the city's police officers.
However, the parents of 16-year-old Ali Altug still want the officer involved and Apache Junction's chief of police to face criminal charges in the case.
Reha and Sandra Altug filed an $8.2 million wrongful-death lawsuit in December 2001 in connection with the April 2000 shooting.
Police records show 39-year-old officer Robert "Woody" Haywood responded to the parents' 911 call about their despondent son who was cutting himself with a knife and broken glass.
Haywood said Ali Altug was coming at him with a knife when he fired his gun in self defense.
But Reha Altug claimed his son was walking toward the kitchen sink and not toward the officer when the youth was shot three times.
Last year, Pinal County Attorney Robert Carter Olson determined Haywood was justified in the shooting and would not face criminal charges.
Neither city nor police officials would comment on the settlement Wednesday which was reported by attorneys on both sides. http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0919policeshooting-settlement-ON.html
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
09/19/02
Terry Oblander
Plain Dealer Reporter
Medina
- A Medina County grand jury indicted Lafayette Township Police Chief Rick A. Schmidt yesterday on charges of rape, gross sexual imposition and burglary.
Schmidt, 36, who was led through the lobby of the Medina County Jail in handcuffs, refused to comment on his arrest and indictment.
From Our Advertiser
Medina County Common Pleas Judge James L. Kimbler signed a court order allowing Schmidt to be released if he posts $15,000 of a $150,000 bond.
Lafayette Township trustees suspended Schmidt with pay in July when a township woman alleged that Schmidt raped her that month at her home while he was on the job as chief.
The woman, in her mid-40s, was taken to an Akron hospital for testing. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation analyzed DNA samples.
The rape and gross sexual imposition charges resulted from that woman's allegations, Prosecutor Dean Holman said. The burglary charge involved another Medina County woman in 1997 at her home, according to the indictment.
Both Holman and Sheriff Neil Hassinger declined to answer most questions about the Schmidt case.
Hassinger said Holman told members of the Sheriff's Department not to comment on the investigation.
Holman, who presented the evidence to the grand jury, said the secrecy of the grand jury prohibited him from discussing the case.
Hassinger said the investigation into Schmidt will not end with yesterday's indictments.
"We've had victims contact us about incidents that happened in the past," Hassinger said. He declined to say how many or who made the complaints.
Schmidt has been Lafayette's police chief for about 2? years. He was a patrolman and sergeant for the Lodi Police Department for nine years.
Schmidt's attorney, John Dolatowski of Medina, said he had not seen the indictments against his client and would have no comment. He said he stood behind a July statement in which he denied guilt on behalf of his client. Dolatowski said he would seek a lower bond.
The rape charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail and a $20,000 fine. The other two charges carry maximum prison terms of 18 months and $5,000 fines. Each offense also carries a firearms specifications that can carry mandatory one-year prison sentences.
Schmidt is scheduled to be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. Monday in Kimbler's courtroom.
Lafayette Trustee Chairman John Crawford, a former Cleveland policeman, said trustees would meet today with Holman's staff to determine what the township should do about Schmidt.
"It's tough for everyone," Crawford said. "It's difficult for anyone in law enforcement because they know Rick."
Plain Dealer reporter Steve Luttner contributed to this story.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
toblande@plaind.com, 1-800-683-7348
http://www.cleveland.com/medina/plaindealer/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/medina/1032427845165930.xml
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
U.S. Newswire
19 Sep 17:14
F.O.P.: Kennedy Calls Officer Safety Act a 'Giant Step in the
Wrong Direction'; Agenda Jeopardizes Public Safety, Officer Safety
To: National Desk
Contact: Tim Richardson of the Fraternal Order of Police,
202-547-8189
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Steve Young, National
President of the Fraternal Order of Police, took issue with Senator
Edward M. Kennedy's (D-Mass.) opposition to the F.O.P.'s top
priority, S. 2480, the "Law Enforcement Officers' Safety Act."
"The number of amendments he offered at the mark-up today were
clearly intended to gut the bill and prevent a vote on final
passage -- a vote we would have won," said Young. "It is clear to
me that Senator Kennedy just doesn't understand -- this bill isn't
about firearms, it's about the safety of law enforcement officers
and the safety of our citizens. The National Fraternal Order of
Police will be working with the members of the Massachusetts State
Lodge to persuade Mr. Kennedy to be more sensitive to the public
safety implications of the legislation."
S. 2480, introduced by Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick J.
Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), would
exempt qualified active and retired law enforcement officers from
State and local prohibitions on the carrying of concealed firearms,
enabling off-duty and retired law enforcement officers to carry
their firearms, even when traveling outside their home
jurisdiction. The Senate bill currently has 36 cosponsors, 11 of
whom are members of the Judiciary Committee.
"Sen. Kennedy opposes this bill because he doesn't like
guns--pure and simple," Young explained. "At the mark-up, he
called for closing the gun show loophole and extending the length
of time the FBI holds on to background checks. Neither of these
issues has anything to do with this bill, which is to enhance
public safety and the personal safety of officers outside their
jurisdictions."
One of the four amendments proposed by Sen. Kennedy would have
eliminated the ability of qualified retired officers to carry their
firearms under the provisions of the bill. The others would have
recreated on a local level the same patchwork of different laws
that the bill aims to correct at the State level.
"This isn't a controversial bill to anyone but Sen. Kennedy,"
Young said. "I hope the committee will be able to reschedule
the vote soon. Every day that goes by is one more day in which
police officers are at risk."
The Fraternal Order of Police is the largest law enforcement
labor organization in the United States, with more than 300,000
members.
http://www.usnewswire.com
-0-
/U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
09/19 17:14
Copyright 2002, U.S. Newswire
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
By FRANK ELTMAN
The Associated Press
9/19/02 4:49 PM
BRENTWOOD, N.Y. (AP) -- What began as an investigation into possible drug use by one Suffolk County police officer culminated Thursday in the arrest of 14 people on drug-related charges, including that officer, an NYPD sergeant and two state troopers.
The 14 are accused of participating in the use, sale and distribution of cocaine and illegal steroids, police and prosecutors said.
"It's a tragedy for the department, it's a tragedy for the people of Suffolk County," Police Commissioner John Gallagher said at a press conference at the county's police academy.
"It's pathetic that someone who is sworn to uphold the law lets themself drift into that kind of lifestyle where they actually do not uphold the law, but think that they are flouting the law and can get away with it."
The commissioner and Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said the investigation is ongoing and charges are possible against other police officers, including one from another state, which they refused to divulge.
The district attorney said the case would be presented to a grand jury for possible additional charges, beginning on Friday.
Spota said other officers who were present while their colleagues used cocaine could be charged criminally, and certainly face administrative charges within the police department.
The officers charged so far are:
--Suffolk Police Officer Thomas Foley, 30, charged with criminal sale of cocaine and conspiracy to sell narcotics;
--New York City Police Sgt. Robert Grettler, 34, charged with two counts of sale of cocaine;
--New York state troopers Michael Christy and James Foley, who is Thomas Foley's brother, charged with conspiracy to sell steroids.
Ten civilians also were arrested in the investigation into the sale of cocaine and illegal steroids.
Gallagher said that Suffolk police officials had been receiving reports of possible drug involvement by Thomas Foley as early as 2000, but found the claims to be unsubstantiated. The first break, according to Gallagher, came late last year when investigators received "a credible report of Officer Foley's involvement with drugs from a known source."
Because of the relatively small size of the 2,680-member SCPD, Gallagher said he contacted the New York City Police Department Internal Affairs office about conducting an independent investigation.
Gallagher said he realized it was "very unlikely that we could conduct an undercover investigation without somebody recognizing somebody."
Using wiretaps on Foley's and other officers' telephones beginning in February, investigators soon learned that officers from the NYPD and state police also were allegedly involved.
"This case clearly shows the ability of law enforcement to work together to police our own and to bring to justice anyone who wears a badge and breaks the law," said Chief Charles Campisi, head of the NYPD's Internal Affairs bureau.
Lt. Lawrence Boyle, the lead investigator in the case, said all those charged were acquainted with each other. Drug sales and use took place at tanning salons, gyms, nightclubs and private homes throughout the county, including Hampton Bays on the island's east end.
Thomas Foley also faces arraignment on a separate cocaine sales charge in the town of Southampton, which is outside the jurisdiction of Suffolk County prosecutors, Spota said.
The largest amount of cocaine that was sold was about three ounces, Boyle said. None of the drug sales took place while the officers were on duty, he added.
Grettler and Thomas Foley were arraigned late Wednesday before a Suffolk County judge, who set bail at $350,000 cash for each. Christy was arraigned Thursday and was released on $15,000 bail. James Foley was released on $2,000 bail.
Eric Naiburg, who represents both Foley brothers, according to the district attorney, did not immediately return a call for comment. He told Newsday on Wednesday night that the bail was excessive for Thomas Foley.
"Why set $350,000 bail for a man who's led an exemplary life?" Naiburg asked.
Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Edward Heilig said that Foley had "violated the trust that was placed in him by the citizens of this county."
Grettler's attorney, Paul Gianelli, said his client "has an unblemished police record." He declined to comment further.
Brian Griffin, Christy's attorney, said his client "has proudly served the citizens of Suffolk and Nassau County in his position as a state trooper and has been decorated with over 30 letters of commendation." He said his client was innocent of the charges. "We are confident that after a full review, he will be cleared of all counts."
http://www.nj.com/newsflash/jersey/index.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?j0174_BC_NY--Police-DrugCharge&&news&newsflash-newjersey
Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Another lost a small revolver out of an ankle holster in a scuffle with a suspect. In the confusion, a bystander scooped it up and ran.
Neither gun was recovered.
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