WESTHAMPTON BEACH—Disciplinary hearings for two Westhampton Beach Village Police officers were put on hold again on Thursday, May 6, when the Village Board tabled the resolutions authorizing them.
At the same meeting, retired Village Police officer Fred Hager blasted Mayor Conrad Teller and Police Chief Ray Dean for how they have handled the situation, and also apparently identified a third village officer who was recently served with disciplinary charges in a separate incident.
Mayor Teller and Chief Dean refused to confirm if Detective Steve Cunneen was served with disciplinary charges, as stated by Mr. Hager during the public participation part of Thursday’s meeting. Last month, the mayor said that a third officer, whom he declined to identify, disobeyed an order, and that the officer later denied the allegation. A resolution to authorize a disciplinary hearing for the officer, who has not been suspended, will be addressed during a special meeting, according to Mayor Teller. As of Tuesday morning, a date had not yet been set for the meeting.
Det. Cunneen, who did not return calls seeking comment, suffered a work-related injury and has worked only two of the 38 days he was scheduled for between March 1 and April 27, taking 31 sick days and five vacation days during that time, according to village records.
On Thursday night, Mr. Hager accused the chief and mayor of trying to destroy the police department and called for them to step down. Mr. Hager also blasted Mayor Teller for serving Det. Cunneen with disciplinary charges because he did not provide the village with medical records to document his line of duty injury.
“It’s not only unwarranted, but will cost the village a fortune,” Mr. Hager said of holding a disciplinary hearing.
Some of Mr. Hager’s comments drew a sharp rebuke from Village Attorney Dick Haefeli, who warned him that he needs to show respect when addressing board members, especially the mayor.
Chief Dean and Mayor Teller later dismissed Mr. Hager’s comments. “His comments are not worthy of a response,” Chief Dean said.
Mayor Teller pointed out after the meeting that Mr. Hager was disciplined on many occasions when he was a police officer, including once for sleeping on duty, and retired in 2003 before he was subject to a disciplinary hearing.
Mr. Hager didn’t deny that he was disciplined while he was on the force, but he pointed out that he was never subjected to a disciplinary hearing. He said on Tuesday that the disciplinary charges against three Westhampton Beach Police officers are “embellished, if not fabricated,” and that’s why he decided to speak out at the meeting.
At the same meeting, Westhampton Beach Village Board members tabled seven resolutions that would have authorized disciplinary hearings for Officers Michael Bruetsch and Joseph Pesapane, who were suspended in October following a Suffolk County Police Department Internal Affairs Bureau investigation that accused them of lying to superior officers during an investigation of a fellow colleague’s missing weapon. The officers were called back to work in December but have been on restrictive duty ever since.
Board members also tabled four other resolutions requesting that they drop their request for police department records of command discipline, gun ownership, penal law offenses, and records pertaining to audio and video evidence. Those resolutions passed in March.
The motion to table the 11 resolutions were approved by a 3-2 margin, with board members Joan Levan, Jim Kametler and Hank Tucker voting yes, and Mayor Teller and member Toni-Jo Birk opposing.
Mayor Teller said the board had met with its labor attorney, Richard Zuckerman, last month, and he had “fully supported all actions” taken by him to move forward with the disciplinary hearings for Officers Bruetsch and Pesapane. But Mr. Tucker, who will challenge Mayor Teller in next month’s election, said after the meeting that board members are waiting for more information regarding the four resolutions that would provide them access to the police records they are seeking.
“We need more information before we spend what could amount to large sums of taxpayer money,” he said.
But Mayor Teller, not wavering from his position that hearings must be held, said the board is wrong to not authorize the hearings.
“They were wrong when they started it,” he said. “They are still wrong, as far as I am concerned.”
Village resident Victor Levy, nicknaming the current divide on the board the “resolutionary wars,” asked why, after six months, the board has not acted on moving forward with disciplinary hearings despite meeting with legal counsel last month. Mr. Kametler, who is not seeking reelection next month, said there are other options board members have to weigh and suggested that the issue won’t be resolved by June 18, the date of the village election.
Perhaps the Village should also disband, and become an unincorporated part of Southampton Town?
You can't make this stuff up!
The over paid police do and solve NOTHING but sleep,hide and lie.
The so-called board is a joke and when they do not get their way they just walk out.
Now we hear of these over paid creeps taking advantage of the system and have the nerve to say "its my personal business", well guess what ... It's ours since we pay you BOZO
Now the chief of police really does not want this to become public.
Why not???
Lets ...more not forget he makes more than the chief of police of NYC.
Time for ALL the CLOWNS to go.
Our taxes are high as we have to many layers of government this seems lke a watse of money to those in WHB.
An extensive investigation was undertaken, resulting in a confirmation of substantial misconduct against certain officers. Does Tucker and his Board’s cohorts, Levan and Kammetler proceed to conduct a hearing that would either clear the names of the officers ...more or find that the charges are true? No. Tucker and his co-conspirators illegally mandated that the charges be dismissed without a hearing-- So much for the Rule of Law.
Now that there was no hearing, the officers were free to suit the Village (which they did) saying they were injured by the “baseless” charges. This would not have been possible if the hearings would have taken place. This will be a substantially costly mistake for the taxpayers.
Also, Tucker was police liaison to the Village for the past 1 or 2 years. During that time he totally failed to even attempt to negotiate a contract with the police which expired 2 years ago. Most likely he has promised them that if he is elected Mayor he will give them a sweetheart deal like nothing they ever imagined. And yes, the new contract would be retroactive to two years previous. During the time that Tucker was police liaison to the Board, he never spoke to the Chief ONE TIME respecting the department. Now the police officers refuse to obey even the simplest orders.
Tucker’s meddling with the Police Department has all but destroyed any semblance of order it once had. But Tucker can’t take all the credit. He would not have been able to reach such a high level of incompetence and malfeasance with out the eager assistance of Trustees Joan Levan and James Kammetler. Kammetler gets to get even with the chief because Kammetler was forced to either resign or face disciplinary charges. Just like the outraged ex-cop Fred Hager. He likewise was forced to either resign or face disciplinary charges. Why are we listening to these people? How much more of this do the residents of the Village have to endure? It’s bad enough that we have to deal with Tucker as a trustee for another year. But to elect him Mayor is insanity.
Ms. Levan simply smiled like Mona Lisa. If her guy Tucker becomes Mayor, the Village will become another indentured appendage of the Levan legacy. I don't know ...more about you, but golly guys, here's a little lady who has gotten WAY too big for her britches.
These three have been holding up the fates of two police officers for over half a year; presumably to "protect" them. That's not right. If this case is about the disappearance of a firearm secured in a police locker, which then suddenly re-appeared on a family car seat, unsecured, with no knowledge whether it might have been used for an illegal activity, you can BET if it was YOUR idea of a joke to make the gun disappear, why, you'd have the Sheriff's Office and the ATF all OVER your clearly incarcerated behind! This is serious stuff; not like the recent outbreak of a disgusting blue flu---more likely brought on by the confidence these three recalcitrant Trustees have their antidote.
After Election Day, of course.
So. Now it's left up to the Truly Legal, Please, voters of the Village of WHB to decide. Joan, in a brilliant Pontius Pilate maneuver, has orchestrated a scene where she gets to wash her hands of the responsibility. Election Day. It is now dumped in our lap to see if politics trumps law.
Pay attention, try to make the best informed decision you possibly can. And whatever you do, please try not to eat the cheesecake! Two more years of Cheesecake not good for your health.
PLEASE!!!!!
"Jim the Gun" a "good guy"???? Are you for real???
If he did not retire he would have been brought up on charges just like Hager.
Than he would not have been able to act like the town bully shooting small animals and giving people a hard time at the local grocery store.
Shame that he did not face charges but all that shows is this game has gone on for long enought and it is finally coming to a head and has to be stopped.
Maybe you should have ...more a look at his record when he was a cop.Than tell us how he is. Maybe you will see his miss used his power and you will see why he chose to retire. Which he never should have been given the option to do.He should have been fired.
This is NOT about Jim Kametler, except for the fact he has been an easy "yes" or "no" vote for the other two; Levan and Tucker, who clearly flaunt the law in our faces.
I hope Jimmy finds his way and stops doing what they tell him to do ...more BEFORE Election Day.
C'mon home, Jimmy. Your neighbors need you to do the right thing.
He miss used his power as a cop just like he does on this so-called boad
OH by the way..at the meeting...the female whispering in his ear while he is yelling at the Mayor is Det. Cunnen's wife.Yes the same Det. Cunnen that is facing charges. Disgraceful!
Maybe it's time to ask "jim the Gun" if he ever broke into a fellow officers locker.
When they do not show up for medical reasons they have the nerve to say it's their business.We pay you BUMS
Maybe it's time to see the personal records on all these so-called police officers that do nothing but collect a check.
Lets all so not forget the chief who has done nothing about the miss use in the police department but makes more ...more than the chief of police of NYC
What crime has been solved over the past years, NONE
It all has to go the board and the police force.
The trustees are so blatintly and consistantly votting along thier alliances. Come on folks. Bipartisn decision making at this level of government has been ok for ever already. Stop holding grudges. Roll up your sleves, ...more go in the back room and don't come out until you have resolve on this monster!
You must be a former cop or related to one.
Every chance you get you defend this force.Hager should have been fired for all he got a way with and Jim the Gun Kametler instead of being investaged was given the option to retire.These cops do NOTHING but miss-use power,sleep,lie and hide.They all so miss-use sick time and want to answer to no one and who lets them get a way with it?Time for you to face facts and stop defending your buddies.
Stop with the weighing of options, dump those carpetbaggers, Levan and Tucker who are USING you, and do the right thing.
Remember those who have helped YOU over the years
Please stop opposing the hearing -- it is a labor law protection of employees.
Let the chips fall where they may.
Allowing those two Trustees with whom you have aligned yourself--to make your decisions for you, has been bad for your legacy and this community.
"JIM THE GUN" Should have be thrown off the police force but instead he was given the option to retire.He all so should have NEVER been elected to any office because of his miss-use of power when he was a cop.He is nothing more than the village big mouth and tries to be the village bully.He does not have the smarts to make ANY decisions for him self.
PLEASE VOTE NO to the LOUSY LIBRARY budget. It will not effect the progress of the project--it will merely force the Library board to open up their accounting practices. Levan, Tucker, and several other key players in WHB politics are on the Library Board, and have put their trademarked cloak of invisibility all over the numbers. WHAT ARE THEY DOING WITH OUR MONEY? Further, I am advised THEY WERE NOT ELECTED TO THEIR ...more POSITIONS-- THEY JUST PUT THEMSELVES BACK IN LIBRARY OFFICE THIS YEAR. BUT THEY REPORTED TO AUDIT AGENCIES THAT THEY WERE "ELECTED."Please.Say no to the Library budget and let them come back with honest, real, transparent numbers.I've had it.In the meantime,let's open up the books. JUST SAY NO.
Why not tell us how you were "advised" to this???