It happens in other municipalities, and it happens in Westfield but taxpayers are met with silence from town officials when payouts or "payoffs" are made in out of court settlements. All too often, town officials, administrators, police chiefs, supervisors, and employees are not held accountable when these "payoffs" are made.
Take for example the $1,100,000 out of court settlement to the Rolnick family of Westfield to compensate them after members of the Westfield Police Department trampled on the 4th Amendment. Town officials remain silent on this settlement and sources within the Westfield Police Department not authorized to comment have indicated that no disciplinary action was taken against the offending officers involved in the lawsuit. The fact of the matter is that one officer, Marcin Kapka, has been promoted to Sergeant since the melee at the Rolnick residence on the Boulevard took place.
See related story of whistleblower harassment and retaliation costing taxpayers when a police officer breaks the "blue code of silence."
http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2015/11/retired_cop_gets_527k_settlement_in_whisteblower_s.html#incart_river_home
The term "blue code of silence" is used to "denote the unwritten rule that exists among police officers not to report on a colleague's errors, misconducts, or crimes."
Municipal employees are often subjected to frivolous department disciplinary hearings on trumped up departmental charges to silence their whistle blowing. Despite town officials settling out of court without admitting any guilt of retaliation or harassment, the public perception is that towns would rather cut their losses by settling and not risk a much greater jury award to compensate for the retaliation and harassment of the whistleblower or victims of police misconduct.
http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/2015/11/westfield_pay_115_mill_to_settle_lawsuit_over_arre.html
Whistleblower and victim lawsuits will continue to be filed as long as municipalities continue to protect the misconduct and mismanagement of town officials, department heads, and employees.
Westfield taxpayers have, and will continue to, subsidize the "out of court" settlements to town employees and residents like the Rolnick's as long as mismanagement, incompetence, and the willingness of town officials to turn a blind eye toward illegal actions, continues.
Was officer Riley punished for charging into the house?
ReplyDeleteA source has confirmed that no officer involved in the police activity at the Rolnick residence was charged.
DeleteHas Wayman ever been punished for stealing files and evidence including pictures from the evidence room at Westfield police headquarters?
DeleteA news source has reported the following: "Lawrence Rolnick eventually filed an Internal Affairs complaint with the Westfield police department. The captain of Internal Affairs later concluded the police committed no wrongdoing." If that's the case, why did the Town of Westfield settle out of court for $1.15 million dollars? Sounds like the NJ Attorney General's Office needs to investigate the actions of the police and review the Westfield Police Department's internal affairs investigation.
ReplyDeleteSince you and Officer Rielly are friends, have you ever asked him about this incident and gotten his perspective?
ReplyDeleteDo you mean Officer Riley? If so, no, TFoTM has not spoken to Officer Riley about this incident.
DeleteIf you and Officer Rielly are friends, why wouldn't you use this contact, as an investigative reporter, to get a first had perspective of the incident.
ReplyDeleteYour attempt to mask your knowledge of the case by misspelling the officer's last name is obvious.
ReplyDeleteTFoTM will not confirm or deny a source.
Friendship or not, I obtain information from multiple sources.
I could not refrainn from commenting. Perfectly written!
ReplyDelete