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The police chief retired today. I can't believe it. As of four hours ago, Police Chief Leonard Gallo of East Haven, CT, has given his resignation.
That son of a bitch.
I had him.
I had him two and a half years ago. I'm a reporter, and this is my "one that got away."
The story goes like this: In 2009, a local priest, Father Jim Manship, was arrested at a convenience store as he attempted to video tape police he said were targeting Latinos in his city.
The funny thing about this video is that the police officer then filed a report saying he thought the camera was a gun. If that's the case, why did he ask about the camera?
And there's more. Here's video of the police searching the back room of that store for the security tape. To remove it.
Would you believe that, at the time, no one cared? Sure, a few stories were run, but no one paid any attention. Except the former mayor.
Mayor April Capone Almon disagreed with the police department, which was obviously harassing the city's Latino population. As the power struggles continued, police arrested Mayor April Capone Almon on fluff charges.
Not to worry, little police department, due to your private contributions to her opposition's camp, she was ousted in the next election.
And what is the stance of the current East Haven Mayor on helping Latinos, now that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department have sided with the immigrants who were being wrongfully arrested and held, deported, separated from their families?
Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr., when asked what he planned to do for the Latino population in his city, said, "I think I'll have tacos for dinner tonight."
This is after he claimed he had no idea that racial profiling was an issue.
I knew better.
In September, 2009, right before Mayor Capone Almon's arrest, I got her on camera, talking about how difficult it was to be a young, female mayor in a world of good old boy cops. That was off the record.
On the record, she told me that the city was well aware of the problems facing the Latino community and that they were holding meetings with leaders from both sides to try to make in-roads. That's the opposite of Maturo's claim. I'd guess those meetings would have been recorded and filed for him to peruse at some point, but maybe he was too busy shaking cumin into a frying pan to notice them.
But the police chief. The police chief who is retiring "not in guilt, but so as not to be a distraction to the investigation." He's my ace in the hole, the tape burning in my pocket. I knew it two years ago, I knew it two months ago when the story flared up again, I know it now.
Lenny Gallo, recorded:
"I'm not saying I don't have a few zealous guys on the police force. I do."
"I want to know why Manship isn't here. Where's Manship? Why isn't he in my office saying, 'my guy says your officers clocked him in the head because he was Guatemalan, and here's the complaint, chief.'"
"All of this could be avoided if people would get a license and stop dicking around."
"It's called custodial arrest. It's in the computer; it's by law, we don't have a choice."
Only you do. You have a choice not to pull over vehicles of people doing nothing wrong simply because of the color of their skin. If you were following law, why would you botch police reports and try to confiscate video?
I'm the only reporter that got an interview from Police Chief Lenny Gallo about his part in the racial profiling in East Haven. Ever. Well, half an interview. At one point he tore the mic off and started storming around the room and telling us to get out. God, I love that. I love news.
With the help of Manship, I collected interviews from witnesses and victims, many of whom were afraid to come forward and spoke only under the condition of anonymity.
That's why you didn't have a complaint, chief. The people didn't want to get arrested, didn't want to be separated from their families. They were scared.
Then Manship launched the investigation through the Justice Department. I was supposed to help him. I didn't. I had a family. I had life obligations, and I had to make a choice. I chose to let this slip through my fingers. I ran my package on the news. No one cared. I kept the tapes. I have the tapes.
But I don't have a camera any more. I don't have any way to play those tapes. I can't edit them, and other reporters, those still in the business, are doing their jobs, getting the story. By this time next week, the interviews will be irrelevant. I kept them for almost three years, knowing full well that this was important. That someone needed them. Their time is finally up. I missed it.
My one that got away.
The bad news is that I broke this story. It's my story.
The good news is that while I'll never get the glory, someone is finally paying attention.
The good news is that the media has finally done its job. It has made a change. I only wish it could have happened two years ago and saved that many more people pain.
That son of a bitch.
I had him.
I had him two and a half years ago. I'm a reporter, and this is my "one that got away."
The story goes like this: In 2009, a local priest, Father Jim Manship, was arrested at a convenience store as he attempted to video tape police he said were targeting Latinos in his city.
Click to viewThe funny thing about this video is that the police officer then filed a report saying he thought the camera was a gun. If that's the case, why did he ask about the camera?
And there's more. Here's video of the police searching the back room of that store for the security tape. To remove it.
Would you believe that, at the time, no one cared? Sure, a few stories were run, but no one paid any attention. Except the former mayor.
Mayor April Capone Almon disagreed with the police department, which was obviously harassing the city's Latino population. As the power struggles continued, police arrested Mayor April Capone Almon on fluff charges.
Not to worry, little police department, due to your private contributions to her opposition's camp, she was ousted in the next election.
And what is the stance of the current East Haven Mayor on helping Latinos, now that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department have sided with the immigrants who were being wrongfully arrested and held, deported, separated from their families?
Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr., when asked what he planned to do for the Latino population in his city, said, "I think I'll have tacos for dinner tonight."
This is after he claimed he had no idea that racial profiling was an issue.
I knew better.
In September, 2009, right before Mayor Capone Almon's arrest, I got her on camera, talking about how difficult it was to be a young, female mayor in a world of good old boy cops. That was off the record.
On the record, she told me that the city was well aware of the problems facing the Latino community and that they were holding meetings with leaders from both sides to try to make in-roads. That's the opposite of Maturo's claim. I'd guess those meetings would have been recorded and filed for him to peruse at some point, but maybe he was too busy shaking cumin into a frying pan to notice them.
But the police chief. The police chief who is retiring "not in guilt, but so as not to be a distraction to the investigation." He's my ace in the hole, the tape burning in my pocket. I knew it two years ago, I knew it two months ago when the story flared up again, I know it now.
Lenny Gallo, recorded:
"I'm not saying I don't have a few zealous guys on the police force. I do."
"I want to know why Manship isn't here. Where's Manship? Why isn't he in my office saying, 'my guy says your officers clocked him in the head because he was Guatemalan, and here's the complaint, chief.'"
"All of this could be avoided if people would get a license and stop dicking around."
"It's called custodial arrest. It's in the computer; it's by law, we don't have a choice."
Only you do. You have a choice not to pull over vehicles of people doing nothing wrong simply because of the color of their skin. If you were following law, why would you botch police reports and try to confiscate video?
I'm the only reporter that got an interview from Police Chief Lenny Gallo about his part in the racial profiling in East Haven. Ever. Well, half an interview. At one point he tore the mic off and started storming around the room and telling us to get out. God, I love that. I love news.
With the help of Manship, I collected interviews from witnesses and victims, many of whom were afraid to come forward and spoke only under the condition of anonymity.
That's why you didn't have a complaint, chief. The people didn't want to get arrested, didn't want to be separated from their families. They were scared.
Then Manship launched the investigation through the Justice Department. I was supposed to help him. I didn't. I had a family. I had life obligations, and I had to make a choice. I chose to let this slip through my fingers. I ran my package on the news. No one cared. I kept the tapes. I have the tapes.
But I don't have a camera any more. I don't have any way to play those tapes. I can't edit them, and other reporters, those still in the business, are doing their jobs, getting the story. By this time next week, the interviews will be irrelevant. I kept them for almost three years, knowing full well that this was important. That someone needed them. Their time is finally up. I missed it.
My one that got away.
The bad news is that I broke this story. It's my story.
The good news is that while I'll never get the glory, someone is finally paying attention.
The good news is that the media has finally done its job. It has made a change. I only wish it could have happened two years ago and saved that many more people pain.