Drunk Driver II
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Reed further corrupted the matter when he altered the location of the suspect’s vehicle where it was left when the suspect bailed out to try to match the suspect's. This was to try to help the suspect's unbelievable story become more rational. As you noted on the previous pages on my investigation report it was parked in front of 7 Churchill’s driveway, a fact that the owner of that property verified as he came out while the vehicle was being towed!:
But Reed didn't speak to that person which would have made sense. Instead he went further up the street and spoke to a Mr. Cunningham who Reed said gave a statement, according to paraphrasing by Reed, which matched the suspect's. Really? Then why did Mr. Cunningham's written statement that I personally got as to what he saw that night match my own?:
September 1997: Another thing I was forced to realize was the general incompetence of lawyers since this was the first true need I ever had of them. I used Quinlan, Dunn and Daley after dismissing the FOP's lawyer, Anthony Fusco. Esq. due to failure to perform. I knew I was in trouble when I insisted that the lawyer from that firm (Mr. Daley) make public the obviousness of Reed's falsehoods as well as the suspect's. Mr. Daley's reply was that he "didn't want to offend the tribunal (the Township Committee) by going on the offensive." This became worse when it was clear that this "shark" as he was described by Mr. Quinlan, had no concept of police work! Indeed, the final straw was when it became necessary to write questions for Mr. Daly to question Reed and Harper! The saying goes that one who has himself for a lawyer has a fool for a client. However, I would add to that phrase in the following way: He who fails to recognize the failings of his lawyer is a fool! This lesson would help me bear the criticism in the next chapter when my instincts directed me to fire lawyer after lawyer.
Due process of law:
The principle that an individual cannot be deprived of life, liberty, or property without appropriate legal procedures and safeguards. The Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution guarantee that any person accused of a crime must be informed of the charges, be provided with legal counsel, be given a speedy and public trial, enjoy equal protection of the laws, and not be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment, unreasonable searches and seizures, double jeopardy, or self-incrimination.
This most fundamental rule of law would be demonstrated to be the first example what was conspicuously MIA from the onset of what would begin a long, lonely pursuit of justice while simultaneously enduring malicious and horrendous attack after attack.
At the conclusion of the sham of a departmental hearing, the Township Committee cleared me of all the accusations laid against me except one. See, under the laws governing police departmental hearings, if I was completely exonerated, then the Township Committee would have been required to reimburse all my legal fees. Of course, many argue that the Township Committee who was my "judges" therefore had a biased interest to not rule justly, which is exactly what they did. Indeed, their only finding against me was not that I had used "excessive force" or "improper force" but just that I had violated the "language" of the departmental use-of-force policy. It didn't matter that they had no testimony or evidence to support this, or that I was the department's defensive tactics instructor, or that the force needed to overcome the refusal to comply with directions of the suspect was taken directly from the use of force manual! Money was the bottom line, such is the way of politicians. The female committee member, while behind closed door session (the walls were thin), was overheard stating that I had done nothing wrong and then being brow-beaten by Mayor Miller that "something had to have been done wrong."
This "decision" was appealed and I would get to enjoy about one years reprieve before the next attack began, see Domestic Violence. I had also filed a Federal lawsuit since the Attorney Generals Office disregarded its own investigators findings that there was criminal conduct. I would later find this to be the case in all the complaints and allegations presented to the AG's office, by myself and by other victims. In fact, I could not find any case investigated by the Attorney Generals Office wherein it investigated, let alone prosecuted, one of its subordinate County Prosecutors (the only one I could find was one involving an Essex County Prosecutor Bissell. He fled from custody and went cross-country, finally committing suicide.)
Note: In 2000, the drunk driver was again arrested for fleeing from police and resisting arrest after threatening other motorists with his Public Service utility truck by playing cat and mouse. Had his license been revoked for what should have been his third drunk driving offense, this would not have occurred and lives would not have been risked. He has since been arrested twice for domestic violence (Eastampton and Burlington Township). Despite the facts showing the perjured nature of his statements, and even that his last deposition statement was also differ than then the original, the Township of Westampton gave this drunk driver $50,000.00! On top of the tens of thousands of dollars paid for the sham of a Township hearing, the taxpayers probably paid close to $100, 000.00 just so a dirty police sergeant could eliminate his better rival and so drunk driver who has a habit of fleeing from police would be set free. I intend to find out just how much when I make a Open Public Records Request to Westampton.Of course, anyone can do so in the meantime.
I am making available the expert's report. All the facts were provided to the expert and his findings were consistent with my own at the time. He simply plugged them in and wrote it. No sense re-inventing the wheel. Click the link below to read:
http://southjerseyjustice.com/expertr.doc
Drunk Driver III
There can be little doubt that what Reed, with the blessings of Chief Harper, had done was criminal. So after surviving this elimination attempt, I sent a complaint to the Acting Prosecutor for Burlington County. Her name was Debra Stone and she was on loan at the time from the Division of Criminal Justice to head the Burlington County Prosecutors Office until a permanent Prosecutor was named.
Ms. Stone forwarded the complaint to the Division of Criminal Justice. Another police officer from a neighboring town and I went to meet with two investigators; Ken White and Jim Wrightson. They were given the same information you now possess, plus some. When we left we felt confident that those responsible for violating their public trust for personal retaliation and advancement would be held accountable. Not so. After much time had passed and without one witness having been interviewed I knew something was up. I sent a letter to Mr. Wrightson after he refused to return any of my calls:
Debra Stone finally replied and the whitewash was complete. And you will see her name resurface again in another case, which also was whitewashed:
Administrative in nature and not criminal? So filing false police reports, accepting false statements, using those false statements to implicate an innocent police sergeant, intimidating witnesses, falsifying reports...not criminal huh? And if not handled by them, then who? I think Ms. Stone will have some explaining to do if I can ever get her brought to justice. Unfortunately, by Ms. Stone's not dealing with the crimes she had just encouraged more crimes and the local law enforcement community, as well as the public, would suffer for it as well as I. But since I had went as high as I could in the State of NJ, which clearly earned its most corrupt state in the Nation status with good reason, I sought out a law firm to address this despicable conduct at the Federal level.
January 1998: There can be nothing more frustrating that for a victim, especially a law enforcement officer, to try to fight corruption than doing so through a lawyer. The first law firm I presented my complaint to accepted the case immediately. A federal civil complaint was initiated against Westampton Township, Chief Harper and Sgt. Reed. Depositions would slowly tighten the legal noose as Harper and Reed were called to account via depositions. They began to fail miserably as their stories fell apart.
See the actual Complaint, click the link below:
http://southjerseyjustice.com/westamptonsuit.doc
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