Westchester Coalition for Police Reform Calling fo Oversight from Rob Astorino

Police-involved deaths in Westchester have attracted considerable media and public scrutiny in recent years. As a Democratic society, we value life, liberty and security of the person as core values worthy of constitutional protection. When government officials interfere with these core values, the call to publicly account for that interference is understandably very significant.


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Westchester, we have seen our share of questionable police involved assaults and deaths. The victims families have continued to request independent investigations from our District Attorney Janet Difiore to no avail. time line of police incidences in Westhchester How many more deaths shall we hear about without our elected official realizing that there is a problem? When our District Attorney is quoted saying an officers use of the "N" word was a diversionary tactic, where is the outcry for change from our community leaders, elected officials and Black Clergy?

As we celebrate the work and birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. , would he be silent in the face of this kind of injustice? The time is now for our county elected officials to act in some form of oversight of its 43 municipalities and training of its officers.

What does it say to communities like Mt. Vernon where a police officer can cost a city over a million dollars in civil lawsuits and hes put back in the streets to patrol the same people he was found guilty in a court of law of abusing? Have Mt. Vernon elected officials forgot that these same people pay taxes that pay this officers salary? read here

What does it say to the African American residents when a Police Officer can call the President the N word, wish for his assassination and continues to patrol the streets where many African Americans may shop, eat at restaurants or do business? read here

 The issue of whether some form of oversight is appropriate may have been settled from the public's viewpoint. Three-fourths of the largest cities in the United States have established some form of law enforcement review. The recent election of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had an police oversight political platform has shown that many voters feel the need of some type of oversight of law enforcement. These actions represent a de facto public finding that oversight is an appropriate response to the problem of law enforcement malpractice.

Clearly, developing community-especially minority community-confidence that law enforcement will be held accountable for its actions is important in and of itself. It is a cold reality that many minority citizens in Westchester lack confidence in internal review and any investigations of police misconduct from the District Attorneys office.

Without trust in law enforcement accountability in Westchester, racial tensions have risen, with tragic consequences for the community. Even a review system perfect in an administrative and legal sense would be problematic for its municipality if the community did not believe in its integrity. We believe, as Democrats, a system of law enforcement policy and procedure review systems in Westchester can be part of the larger effort of community policing, leading to greater acceptance of the legitimacy of the review.

As Independent Democrats, we question the silence of our own Democratic party in Westchester concerning the continuous deaths and physical abuse of black, brown, yellow and poor citizens at the hands of rouge law enforcement in Westchester County. “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Blue Wall of Silence, Police Unions, Oversight and the Black Community

Blue Wall of Silence, Police Unions, Oversight and the Black Community by Damon K Jones

Black Officer Assaulted by White Assistant Chief Continues his fight for Justice

Officer Micheal Hannon

On Sept 22, 2011, White Plains Police Assistant Chief Anne Fitzsimmons received a complaint in reference to Officer Michael Hannon’s actions on handling an intake call about an unattended parked car in their parking lot. Chief Fitzimmons emailed the Tour Commander, Lieutenant James Parlow in reference to the complaint. Lieutenant Parlow responded to Chief Fitzsimmons email and said that he had reviewed Officer Micheal Hannon intake call and he believed Officer Hannon handled it properly. The events that take place after this email exchange is very shocking and no one would ever think that a police department would get so out of control.

The conclusion wasn’t enough for the Chief Fitzsimmons, she came down to the communications room, without saying any words, she grabbed a large rolling chair approximately 8 feet behind where Officer Hannon was sitting and with bruit force rammed the chair in the back of Officer Hannon’s chair knocking him into computer console. 

The attack on Officer Hannon was witness by two officers, one civilian worker and one supervisor, all was in a state of shock of the unmerciful actions of Assistant Chief Fitzsimmons.  All have made notarized statements of Chief Fitzsimmons attack on Officer Hannon. “She pushed the chair with both arms and with force”, reported a witness of the incident.

After brutally striking Officer Hannon, Chief Fitzsimmons took the chair that she used to assault Officer Hannon and began a casual conversation with Lieutenant Parlow.  

“I thought to myself, this woman just hit me very hard with a chair,” said Hannon. “Felt like I was being sacked by Ray Lewis.”

Assistant Chief Anne Fitzsimmons

“I was startled because my back was turned answering a call”, Hannon continued, “I turned around expecting an apology or at least an excuse me, she had no reply for her actions”. 
After talking to the Lieutenant Parlow the Chief said out loud that she couldn’t write Officer Hannon up because the call went the right way but she will write the incident up in her personal folder. 

After chief left Officer Hannon spoke to the Lieutenant Parlow that was in the room and asked him what was he going to do and Lieutenant Parlow replied, “What can I do, I’m only a Lieutenant?”

“I felt completely helpless”, said Hannon. Because I know in the policy somebody is suppose to do something to help me.”

Officer Hannon is completely right. In White Plains Police Policy Article IV: When a member reports an injury that occurred white on duty, the supervisor to whom it was reported shall conduct an investigation of the injury and report the facts in writing to the Chief of Police. In White Plains Workplace Violence Policy is says; a city staff member may not engage in any behavior or conduct that could reasonably be interpreted as violent. Chief Fitzsimmons is the person responsible for these policies and is the instructor of the ethics class of the in-service training of White Plains PD. Chief Fitzsimmons is also a violator of these policies by assaulting Officer Hannon and she continues to go unpunished or reprimanded by Commissioner Chong for the same policies that she teaches and helped write. 

While Officer Hannon was writing his account of the incident many supervisors advised him to think about the repercussions of his report and that it would jeopardize his career in the White Plains PD.

“After I finished my report, I left it in Commissioner Chong’s office”, said Hannon. “I was in so much pain I had to go to the hospital.”

The Assistant Chief attacking an Officer and the Officer writing a report on the incident was now a hot potato in the department. No supervisor working inside the department wanted anything to do with the incident. Officer Hannon had to wait approximately 20 minutes for a supervisor to be called off the road and instructed to take Officer Hannon to the hospital. While he was at White Plains hospital he was treated for back spasms and pain and given prescriptions.

The next day Officer Hannon called out injured. After twelve days Officer Hannon received no correspondence on the incident from Commissioner Chong or Chief Bradley, Officer Hannon wrote second report. After not receiving a response from the second letter the White Plains Police Union attorney sent another letter on Officer Hannon’s behalf. 

"We feel that Assistant Chief Anne Fitzsimmons should be held accountable for her actions which caused Officer Hannon to miss over three months of work and still may require surgery to repair. If this incident happens anywhere else (in the City Of White Plains) the person responsible would have been arrested for assault and the chair taken as evidence", said White Plains PBA President Rob Riley.

After many letters and no correspondence from Commissioner Chong or Chief Bradley on the issue. Officer Hannon had no choice but to file a complaint with the White Plains Mayor office of Illegal discrimination and harassment on Oct. 10, 2011. 

After no response from the Commissioner or the Mayor’s office, Officer Hannon and the WP Police Union thought that they could find justice at the District Attorney’s Office. 

 "We decided to go to the DA's office after I called Police Chief James M. Bradley and asked the status of the internal investigation? The Chief stated that he (Officer Hannon) was insane and could not have been hurt like that.  Also that all paperwork had gone to city hall.” said Riley.

Officer Hannon and the PBA met with Assistant District Attorney Berit Huseby.  DA Huseby was very adamant to have Lieutenant Mike Fitzmaurice of WPPD Internal Affairs to handle the investigation. This was opposed by Officer Hannon and the PBA because of the long term relationship between Fitzmaurice and they felt the investigation could not be done in a non bias manner. For the interest of injustice Assistant DA Huseby kept Fitzmaurice as the investigator.

On February 28, 2012 Officer Hannon and his Attorney Mitchell Baker filed a Federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of White Plains and Assistant Chief Anne Fitzsimmons of the White Plains Police Department. The lawsuit alleges a violation of Officer Hannon’s civil rights under 42 USC Section 1983.

“Our organization wrote letters to the Mayor, Chong and Defiore”, said Sterling Dixson, President of Westchester Blacks In Law Enforcement of America “She has a federal lawsuit for violating someone’s Civil Rights, assaulting them, not to just any citizen; she did this to an officer under her command. The right thing to do is to remove her until the case is over.”

Mitchell J. Baker, of the White Plains law firm of Baker Leshko Saline & Blosser, LLP states: “It simply shocks the conscience that an Assistant Chief of a major metropolitan police force would take such actions and forcefully attack one of her own officers.”

On March 7, 2012, the District Attorney’s office sent Officer Hannon a letter stating “there are irreconcilable differences between the accounts of the witnesses and they will not bring charges against Assistant Chief Fitzsimmons”

“Did they really think that Janet Defiore would bring assault charges on a Chief of Police in Westchester? That’s laughable,” said Dixson. “The Chiefs support the DA with campaign money.  She’s a member of their organization. Did they really believe that she would get charges?” 
May 8. 2012, at a White Plains City Council meeting,  Officer Hannon described the ongoing pain of his injuries, the loss of three months of work and five months of physical therapy. “During my time out of work I was never contacted by any city of White Plains administration official or any city of white plains official in regard to the incident or the status of my recovery. I do not only blame Ann FitzSimmons, assistant chief of police, I also blame all those who sanctioned her behavior by refusing to investigate. I am now embarrassed to wear the shield of the White Plains police and it is due to the way upper management handles various issues,” Hannon told the mayor and council.

A coalition of Black Pastors gathered at the podium, from churches in the White Plains African American community, brought a show of solidarity for Officer  Hannon. They called both situations morally unacceptable.

“If they can do this to me (a Police Officer).” said Hannon. “Imagine what they have been doing to the average citizens in Westchester. I can’t blame any victim for wanting a special prosecutor of oversight.”