OFFICER KENNEDY’S SUIT CONFIRMED … plus … IS OFFICER COCO’s SITUATION GOING TO BE BURIED? SOURCES DIFFER
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, SEPT. 3, 2015) — With multiple lawsuits now having been filed by officers of the Pittsfield Police Department, what of the suspension of police officer and union head Jeff Coco? Is it yet another city departmental scandal that will be swept under the frayed carpet?
Will it go the way of Monterosso and his $150,000 send-off from Berkshire Works? The way of Frank “Free House” Cote, who rigged the game so his “personal secretary” could get $100,000 worth of free work from Taconic High School carpentry students? The way of the $10,000 stolen from PHS in 2012? The water department overtime scandal?
Kennedy Suit is Confirmed
Before THE PLANET gets to Coco, we have confirmed our report yesterday of PPD officer Chris Kennedy‘s lawsuit against the city, the mayor, the police chief, and Capt. David Granger. Kennedy filed suit on Aug. 31 in district court in Springfield. He is demanding a trial by jury. Kennedy has been on the PPD since 1987.
Kennedy alleges he was denied promotion to sergeant because he spoke out against department corruption, including Granger’s son being wrongfully placed at the top of a hire-eligibility list via veteran preference despite not having a military record that met the provisions. In short, Kennedy alleges nepotism, as did Sgt. Mark Lenihan in his lawsuit against the same four defendants.
Six Figures is a Serious Amount of Money
Back to Coco.
Multiple sources have spoken to THE PLANET about the Coco situation. They agree in the claim that about $150,000 to $200,000 is missing from the patrol officer’s union. Assuming the allegation proves true, why would Coco take the money from his colleagues?
“[Coco] has or had a prescription drug dependency of between $150 and $200 a day,” said Officer Joe Bolton (not his real name). “There are rumblings that [Coco’s] father or some other close relative is going to pay all the money back so that the DA will not press charges if restitution were made,” Officer Joe said. “Coco is for the most part a good cop. He is the only one in the department certified in OUI/drugs, so it would follow that defense attorneys all over town would be looking to get their clients’ convictions overturned should his addiction be found to be legit.”
Other police sources aren’t sure or aren’t buying the story that Coco is addicted to prescription drugs. “Some in the department feel the addiction angle may not be true and may be a ruse from his lawyer to protect Coco from firing,” another source said. “Once he and his lawyer knew they were coming after him, they came up with the drug problem as a defense. I [personally] can’t speak to the validity of the drug claim.”
Dick Tracy Calls in by Wrist Phone
Will Coco be prosecuted? Sources differ on this. Dick Tracy tells THE PLANET “Coco will get off with almost nothing happening to him, because he has compiled a lot of dirt and ‘knows where the skeletons are buried’ on the department higher ups and [Mayor Dan] Bianchi.” Tracy then offered this prediction: “They will go lightly on Coco, so [that] he doesn’t bring out the skeletons publicly.”
Another source, Father, says Coco doesn’t have anything on the higher ups. Father says the DA’s office likely will bring charges, even if the money alleged to be stolen is paid back. Father agreed, though, that chief Mike Wynn and Capt. Granger will do what they can to protect Coco in the hope that it might squelch the publicity.
THE PLANET has requested comment from the mayor, police chief Mike Wynn, Capt. Granger, and others in the department, without success. When the phone doesn’t ring, we know it’s them not getting back to us.
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“I have no sympathy with the mid-Victorian thought to which Tennyson gave his support, that a poet’s life concerns nobody but himself. A poet is by very nature of things a man who lives with entire sincerity, or rather, the better his poetry the more sincere his life. His life is an experiment in living and those that come after have a right to know it.” — W. B. Yeats, from an unpublished speech, (1907).
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
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Candidates for the top office and City Council should be putting feet to the fire. This house needs a Big Broom along with the Mayor, and City Council. The corrupt B.S.spews out to the Public. How do you feel as a Citizen. I still think that Capitanio was tipped off by his son in law. Covered up by the boys in blue. What a rotten fish.
The 3 younger police officers rumored to be leaving the PPD are taking similar jobs for more money…Bianchi hired a consultant to conduct a comparison of dept. head’s salaries to a supposed similar town to Pittsfield, to show how underpaid they are and why he can’t get and keep good people…Pittsfield cops are one of the lowest, if not the lowest, paid in the Commonwealth…that’s pretty said considering 26 cops have been murdered this year on the job in the USA…Bianchi was more worried about helping people that carry a pen over people that carry gun
The number of officer deaths is 83 for 2015
http://www.odmp.org
And I know what’s coming next…”well they can do road jobs and make crazy extra money”…that is true if you want to work 16 hour days…try something today…when you get home from work go stand out by your mailbox near the road for 6-8 hours…bring your cell phone if you want…then do the same for 4 or 5 days…see how you’re missing out on the easy money…plus the City gets $5 an hour for every Pittsfield cop you see on a road detail…on one day you can have 15 or 20 details, say 20…that’s $100 an hour which equals $800 a day which equals $4000 a week brought into the City coffers…no I am not a cop nor did I play one on tv…just the facts mam
I would not want to do a road detail before or after working a shift. But aren’t these details voluntary? Did not the police association fight like hell not to let anyone else do them?
Dusty, I think you are correct about the cops fighting to keep those traffic details. In other communities there are no cops doing those – the construction company’s workers do them. So if the cops are fighting to keep them, they can’t be so bad can they, Mr. X?
Wrong! Mass. law was changed so that it does not necessarilly a policeman that directs traffic at contruction sites. The contractors may provide their own flag men if the situation is not one that may not be dangerous. However, it is the local or state police who decide whether the situation requires a trained officer. This is true throuout the Commonwealth. I don’t know why you have to say that Pittsfield is the only one that does it. Perhaps its just another way to tell us what a horrible city we live in.
TM, sorry I did not mean to imply Pittsfield is the only community doing this. I meant to say I’ve seen both cops and construction workers doing these details elsewhere but not everywhere.
Mr. X, what about retail workers that stand on their feet for very long hours and don’t get paid anything close to what a cop makes? And if they work a 12 or 16 hour day their hours are cut the rest of the week so they go zero OT. Guess it ain’t so bad working those traffic details, eh?
What about the exhausted cop on the street. Who benefits from that?
The problem is, you could put anyone on traffic o t, as long as they had a uniform on, to do the overtime job at 100 an hour. The other part is, how fresh or effective is the officer after doing all these hours? How productive is someone after logging hours upon hours, does one get enough sleep and are they mentally alert for the next shift? When the job on the beat becomes all about money, maybe it’s time for another profession, unfortunately, or fortunately, making money for your last years on the job at the highest rate, excluding overtime, increases one’s pension. That’s a Union’s Promise.
Dilly, I think Mass. is the only state that makes it mandatory for police to work road details instead of the contracted companies own employees. At your figure of $100 an hour, a company could hire 5 people at $20 an hour to do the same thing. So every time you see police at a construction detail looking down a hole holding a coffee, “protecting the workers”, think there is 5 $20 an hour jobs. They have a great union I’ll say that much. I don’t blame the officers either. It’s legal and available so go for it. Its the mandatory law that puts them there that needs rescinding.
My concern is more for the safety of the citizens. Why does someone who carriers a loaded gun be able to work obscene hours. They must make life or death decisions. Truck drivers can only work so many hour’s, why not cop’s.
Having hired detail cops, they do not make $100 and hour. the rate is $40 and hour and the City keeps $5 for admin fee. while it is true that is $35 and hour, which I think includes P/R taxes, and is still not time and a half of their base rate.
I hired a “flag man” from a local contractor once when no cops or Sherriff’s deputies were available – and they charged me the same rate to a guy they paid $13/hour to (I asked him what he earned and he told me). so the contractors charge the police detail rate, pay 1/2 of what the cops get and make profit on the rest – so who really is the thief here?
maybe the rules and charges need to be clearer – when you need a cop, and when a flag man will do – and what the max charge can be for each – not to exceed maybe $40 for a cop and $20 for a flag man to include taxes and admin.
Looks like the PSC is looking into uniforms for students. I like it, sounds like a positive approach to student success.
I too believe it sets a Standard. I am 100 % in favor of Uniforms.
I bet there are already the civil rights folks out there saying it’s a violation of the kids’ right to free expression. of course once you get out in the workforce, your employer sets a standard – and you comply or go live on welfare – – so I don’t see how saying kakis and a collard shirt for boys and that or a particular dress style for girls violates anyone’s rights – especially if you just dictate style and color.
maybe dictating shoe colors would be helpful to. white, canvas Keds for all! (o0pr maybe PF Flyers – am I showing my age?:).
for most parents – that makes things cheaper and easier.
I am very much in favor of it also. But if half the students can’t afford their own lunch who is going to pay for their uniforms? And who is going to wash them?
uh oh I see another line item coming
Dusty, none of them come to school naked – so I would imagine that buying a basic uniform would be cheaper – especially for the lower income folks who now don’t need to feel like they have to keep up by buying the specific logo’d items their kids ask for. makes it easier to say NO – this is what you get.
I wonder if Dan enjoys the irony of mini-skirt, low cut blouse with high heels Yon suggesting a stricter more proper dress code.
Dean Of Uniforms, has a ring to it. I wonder how much this is going to cost?
Yes we will need a dean of uniforms, and an assistant dean, they both will need secretaries, then a few employees to actually do the work.
We also need a professional dry cleaning service to pick up the uniforms and clean and repair them. Perhaps we can contract a sweat shop out of China to manufacture them. Cotton or polyester or silk or synthetic? Perhaps Kevlar to make them bullet proof. This is the 21st century.
Extra extra large for our plus size students who live on fast food.
This should only raise taxes by about $5 million per year. What a bargin.
For the City,Cat? 100 for the City.
This guy should never be a cop in the first place. No interpersonal skills, horrible public service skills.
BC, just for the sake of argument, let’s assume what you are saying is true. Doesn’t it point out another large issue with the police force? That cops that should not be cops are still cops? Seems all this is part of an overall systemic failure.
Uniform Blight Monitor.
Police department is falling apart. Mayor stands by doing nothing. Scholl uniforms? Yes a million times yes. They work!
Strongly disagree with the school uniforms it’s no more than a trick by the progressives to remove individualism to the collective. Seems to be working fine though, the state grabs hold of the kids in preschool molds them into good little brain dead robots not capable of making decisions on their own and sends them off to colleges and saddles them with student loan debt to the thousands to prepare them for jobs at Friendly’s or McDonald’s where they can just punch the hamburger key and $20 bill to give back the correct change. Can’t wait to see my grand kids in their adorable uniforms. Stalin and Hitler must be smiling from ear to ear.
and if they work for Friendlys or McDonalds they will have to wear a uniform
But maybe the soccer and baseball players should be able to wear whatever they want too I would hate to see them all turn into Nazis dressing alike and all this must be how it all starts
oddly, it is usually Republicans such as myself who like uniforms – I believe they make the school day less distracting for all (teachers should also wear a uniform, with a slight bit more freedom). Generally, all the law suits I have seen on the issue have been filed by the ACLU types – liberals who decry the removal of personal expression. Remember, the bloods, et al do not mallow personal expression either. Gangs wear, well… gang colors.
Good post Ron. Perhaps they can sew different color triangles on them depending on the child’s nationality or religious beliefs.
Then the children can be indoctrinated to be politically correct and tolerate other children’s colored triangles.
“You will be assimilated and become part of the collective. Resistence is futile”
– The Borg
Uniforms help address issues dealing with poor choices in clothing by students. I also believe parents will save money. Individuality? Many students seem to want to dress to a low standard now. Decades ago, my high school had uniforms. Girls loved it, since their only issue was how to fix their hair. Guys liked it for reason that we did not have to worry about what to wear. Our individuality was also expressed by our choice of tie.
The benefits far outweigh any negatives. (A southeast conservative Democrat, maybe the last of the species.)
What I was trying to say is that cops work the road details so they can make extra money to help offset their meager regular pay…which is pretty pathetic considering they carry a gun…yes it is volunteer and their choice…people get on them for doing that…like I said you work a 16 hour day if you want…see how you like it….plus they MAKE money for the City…I personally work as much ot as I can…you can always use the money for something…isn’t that the American way?
They are humans, not robots. Truck drivers are required to work limited hours. This make sense to me, there driving a machine that could cause death and destruction to many. Why should someone carrying a loaded gun,needed to make split second decision’s be allowed to work 16 hour days? I guess they do have a good union and lobbyist.
Anyone for squad c?
The Pittsfield School Committee is at it again. They extended the contract for Superintendent McCandless from 4 years to 6 years. Like the fiefdom that it has become the Pittsfield School Committee keeps doing all it can do consolidate power for the schools and for Superintendent McCandless.
You have to wonder why they would do that. To make sure a new mayor can’t change things?
Check all the appointments in the City Council agenda. Clear as crystal water. Last minutes changes just in case….that’s why they do it,
This is a disaster in the making.
Question for all candidates: Will you request the state to come in and do a total audit of our police department? Or will you support an audit of our police department from an outside agency?
The Milt Plumb Museum would be an economic engine for the City. Clean up crew would certainly have some work.
Work traffic by day and take naps in patrol car by night. How many of the working poor work 2 or 3 low paying jobs every day, many times 6 and 7 days a week.
Yes, calling car so and so…five minutes later.. so and so? No answer. Finally an answer, yes give me a twenty one please.
Shirley, In the past 50 some odd years that I can remember, there were several investigations of the PPD. What happens is when the results come in, the brass, the Mayor and other so-called “stake-holders” read the recommendations and pick and choose which ones they want to embrace, as long as it doesn’t affect any of the the “good old boys” or themselves. Changes will be initiated, the union will protest citing “collective bargainning issues” and it quietly goes back to the way it was. An old time copper once told me, “This place will never change, even if JC himself made the recommendations.”
……………….and so it goes!
AS PREDICTED ON THE Planet…Brady suspension overturned by Judge as BobbyKrafty wins again. Loser New Yorkers cry in their beer.AGAIN?
Correct, NOTA. We called it back in January. Total vindication for the reigning Super Bowl champ and MVP. Tom Terrific wins another Big Game!
4 rings on his fingers, and one Commissioner under his thumb!
Couldn’t agree with Berkshire Cop more!!!