A former Public Safety Officer shared that “PSD is a kind of citadel, averse to influence even from RIOC’s top management.” Is that still true when it comes to PSD misconduct?
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
PSD Misconduct or Just Gossip?
In an email, we asked RIOC’s Interim Leadership Team as well as PSD Chief Kevin Brown for their reaction:
“There are reports of partying in a room in the Community Center given over to Wanda Coleman and a group supporting her work. One officer was demoted for drinking on the job, according to our sources.”
“Chief Brown is given wide leeway to avoid accountability; so, I expect nothing from him,” we added, “but perhaps others on the executive team will be more responsible.”
Over several years, encompassing most of his term as Chief, Brown has not responded to any questions about goings on inside RIOC’s biggest department. Public Safety includes well over one-third of all RIOC employees and over 12% of its total budget. Transparency is limited, accountability all but nonexistent.
That’s a radical departure from the days of Brown’s predecessor, Jack McManus. McManus was open to criticism, welcomed suggestions and even initiated contact when he thought something was newsworthy. I remember him calling me from his car late one night. New information had come in about a gun crime on Roosevelt Island, and he wanted to be sure local reporters got it straight.
Now, RIOC’s Response Felt Like a Flashback
This could have gone several ways, but the best option for RIOC was clarifying and/or correcting the story’s details before it went public. That’s not what happened. Chief Financial Officer Dhruvika Patel Amin’s first concern was defending PSD in an emailed response.
“PSD is very responsible and takes accountability for their actions regarding safety and security,” she wrote. “And misconduct is handled accordingly and taken seriously.”
Numerous incidents, from the still unexplained manhandling of a small, female delivery truck driver by three beefy PSOs to countless complaints about ignored traffic violations, make clear that that’s not so.
Chief Brown was not quoted nor did he comment.
“The party mentioned in Inspector Coleman’s area of control,” Amin continued, although we had not mentioned any specific party. “Inspector Coleman is the second most tenured supervisor at PSD, she has been at RIOC for 25 years and on Friday April 5, PSD celebrated her milestone…”
The question of “partying’ went unanswered, but as for “One officer was demoted for drinking on the job,” she wrote, “The (name withheld) situation is being handled in real time and no decision as far as the outcome is final.”
In short, Amin dodged the issues at every level.
A Request for Clarification
We asked for clarification on the officer drinking on the job issue and added, “As concerns Captain Coleman, I have complaints on record against her going back to 2013, but there are also numerous people who like her. In this instance, I wasn’t referring to a specific party in April but a general sense that there’s improper conduct going on behind closed doors.”
Amin’s follow up answer was even worse.
“Regrettably, I cannot further answer these questions as they are trivial and not valid to carry on. I thought I provided you sufficient detail to your concerns initially.”
Not as bad as the Haynes era, but a cover up just the same. Nothing about a public safety officer allegedly caught drinking on the job and demoted is trivial.
“I would appreciate some patience as we are understaffed,” Amin continued, “and are wearing multiple hats and working long hours.”
Two members of the Interim Leadership Team earn over $200K per year, and the other receives over $150K. They may be worth the money, but these are not 9:00 to 5:00, five day a week salaries.
A Distant Mirror on PSD Misconduct?
This is not our first go ’round with PSD misconduct handled like it happens in a separate universe. The quote in our opening paragraph: “PSD is a kind of citadel, averse to influence even from RIOC’s top management.” is from an article in 2013.
The Chief then was Keith Guerra, and here’s more from a whistleblower quoted in our article then.
“I don’t understand why they’re going after Guerra,” he said, shaking his head, referring to contemporary complaints. “The person people should be going after is (then Captain) Estrella Suarez. She runs the whole department. She’s there so he can come and go as he pleases.”
This may explain Chief Brown’s detachment and his finding time for leisurely strolls around the Island with “best friend” and second in command Anthony Amoroso.
And the absence of any action on resident complaints…
“As for resident complaints about alleged abuses by Public Safety officers during routine policing and arrests, (our) source described internal procedures designed to muffle complaints. He cited Lieutenant Wanda Coleman as the point person for this, under the watch of Captain Suarez. Daily reports, he explained, are routinely revised to reflect acceptable, not to say accurate, versions of reality.
“‘Lieutenant Coleman is the integrity control officer. When you make a complaint, you’re making it to her. And that’s it.’
“Does a complaint just get buried?”
“’Pretty much.’”
Finally
Not long after our report, Chief Guerra was fired for misconduct. Next up, Chief Jack McManus cleaned up a lot of mess, but as his retirement neared, some backsliding appeared immediately.
While the same players remain in place, we don’t know if things are again as they were in 2013. But the lack of transparency and accountability mixes in with RIOC executives burned in reluctance in dealing with PSD.
Brown, Amoroso, Suarez and Coleman may be doing exemplary work, but how would we ever know? PSD answers to no one. That’s a problem, and it may be more or less than any of us know on the outside.
A Vote in the Shadows: When the Public Record Disagrees with Fay Christian
There are two truths in public governance. Timelines do not lie. And silence is often the loudest answer.
