Opinion ID: 795898
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The G.A. Incident

Text: 5 On May 2, Officer Reagan Kelly of the department responded to a two-car accident in the Village. The drivers were Doris Hutchinson and a minor, referred to only as G.A. At the scene, Kelly arrested G.A. for driving while intoxicated. Soon after, Skehan assisted Kelly with the preparation of the bill of particulars to be filed against G.A. Kelly confided to Skehan that Kelly did not have probable cause to arrest G.A. for the offense but that he was directed to do so by Sergeant Gaffney, who had gone off on his tangent again because he doesn't like kids and he gets really nutty, and ... he went nuts again. 6 On May 13, Skehan met privately with an Assistant District Attorney, Jeffrey Chartier, to report Kelly's allegations and Skehan's own concerns about racial decisionmaking in the department. Skehan told Chartier that he feared the incidents would have been covered up if he had gone through the normal chain of command. The next day, Skehan reported his conversation with the District Attorney's office to Lieutenant Paul. Later that month, Skehan wrote to Sergeant Peter Monachelli, his direct supervisor, advising Monachelli of his meeting with the District Attorney's Office and his concerns about the conduct within the department. 7 Monachelli, who was also vice president of the local Police Benevolent Association (PBA), forwarded Skehan's memorandum to Monachelli's immediate supervisor, Lieutenant Matero. The next day, Monachelli drafted his own memorandum to Matero, expressing his concern that the department was making enforcement decisions on the basis of race. 8 On May 27, an internal investigation prompted by Skehan's allegations concerning the G.A. accident was concluded and exonerated Sergeant Gaffney. That same day Gaffney required all the officers to attend a roll call meeting where he threatened retaliation against Skehan, saying, I want everyone to know, now that it's over, it's just beginning. 9 Two days later, Skehan wrote to local PBA president John DiCioccio, reiterating his concerns. In their capacities as president and vice president of the PBA, respectively, DiCioccio and Monachelli posted a memorandum, dated May 30, in the police locker room. The memorandum disputed the conclusions of the internal investigation into Sergeant Gaffney's conduct concerning the arrest of G.A. It also reiterated and supported Skehan's contention that the department was engaged in race-based enforcement. DiCioccio and Monachelli sent a copy of their memorandum to the Board and Chief Flynn. 10