Petition for release of info and FOIL info

[Samantha Spade]

*"No detective of 25+ years is going to write such a letter to a newspaper unless he was asked to do that.*"

You sure got that right Hawk!

Here's a book you may be interested in titled "Beware the cable guy." It's written by a retired police sergeant who got a lot of flack for writing it. I can see you authoring a book. I'd buy it.

 

[Samantha Spade]

http://www.newsreview.com/reno/code-of-silence/content?oid=936695

Here is the link to a review of his book.

 

[MrsPC]

The problem is that with most homicide investigations, there is a very large percentage of cases where a close family member or friend is a prime suspect. With that being said, the police investigators have no way to know whether or not a parent could be a suspect or could have close ties to a suspect. As much as we would like to think that a grieving parent has the right to hear a daughter's 911 recordings, safeguarding the evidence is more important.

but in Gilbert's case....wasn't it reported that her death was accidental? and not due to homicide?

at least that's what they told the Gilberts and their attorney (reportedly)

 

[Justiceforever]

but in Gilbert's case....wasn't it reported that her death was accidental? and not due to homicide?

at least that's what they told the Gilberts and their attorney (reportedly)

That is where I was confused for awhile. It was REPORTED to be accidental but the MEs reports said it was INCONCLUSIVE which leaves it open to possible homicide if evidence arises in the future. At least that was the understanding I got. More specifically, "It takes nothing off the table..."

 

[hawkshaw]

*"No detective of 25+ years is going to write such a letter to a newspaper unless he was asked to do that.*"

You sure got that right Hawk!

Here's a book you may be interested in titled "Beware the cable guy." It's written by a retired police sergeant who got a lot of flack for writing it. I can see you authoring a book. I'd buy it.

thanks. I'll go look for it.

 

[hawkshaw]

That is where I was confused for awhile. It was REPORTED to be accidental but the MEs reports said it was INCONCLUSIVE which leaves it open to possible homicide if evidence arises in the future. At least that was the understanding I got. More specifically, "It takes nothing off the table..."

It also leaves it all open to the best scenario should things get out of hand and their lies are uncovered.

 

[mysterymom7]

SCPD did not respond to SG's 911 call because she did not know where she was, and once she mentioned Jones Beach, and her call was transferred to the NY State Police they did not connect GC's and BB's 911 calls with hers until she was reported missing and MP told police where she was. SCPD responded to GC's and BB's 911 calls, not SG's.

If the NY State Police were in possession of SG's 911 call, why wouldn't they have stated that in their denial letter to me? If they don't have it, and know the NYSP do, they're supposed to say that.

I also requested GC's and BB's 911 calls, and any witness statements. If the SCPD did their job that morning, there should, at least, be a statement from GC and BB.

 

[mysterymom7]

Appealing the FOIL denial? LOL. good luck. When Martin Tankleff went to the Suffolk Court on a 440 Hearing to get a new trial, he presented 22 witnesses of independent sources that gave testimony he hoped would win him a new trial.

Before the hearings started the defense and Tankleff's supporters knew the 440 would not be granted.

The presiding Judge, Steve Braslow declared the witnesses to be 'nefarious scoundrels' Included in the 22 witness parade was a Catholic priest and two nuns.

The case went to the appellate court and the conviction was set aside.

Forget about getting a fair hearing from a Suffolk judge on an appeal.

The last sentence is why I believe I will have to take it up with the Supreme Court in the end. I just have to wait for that point in the process.

I mailed my appeal letter yesterday to the Suffolk County Attorney's Office. Now I just have to wait for their denial, as I'm expecting, to be able to file under Article 78 (off the top of my head...).

 

[mysterymom7]

It also leaves it all open to the best scenario should things get out of hand and their lies are uncovered.

Should I be granted access to any of the reports I requested (even if it takes going to the Supreme Court) the lies, misinformation, and TRUTH will be spread like wild fire. I will be sure to let every news organization from Long Island to California know. Once the media is aware and they start digging deeper, SCPD is going to be forced into a lot of PR fixing. If the Supreme Court becomes aware, my hope is THEY look deeper and DO something about it. These people involved need to be held accountable. It's not how this country is supposed to be run.

 

[Seaslug44]

*"No detective of 25+ years is going to write such a letter to a newspaper unless he was asked to do that.*"

Ummm- he is the secretary-treasurer of the Suffolk Detectives Association. He wrote the letter to the editor of a newspaper in response to the bashing of the detectives working the case. He wasn't "asked" to write it by the SCPD or the government.

I will repost a copy of the letter in the discussion about he 911 calls. There is no way he is lying or covering anything up as Hawkshaw suggests without any proof. The letter he wrote has been burried by many of the people who think SG was murdered because it paints a dark picture about SG and how she acted.

 

[mysterymom7]

Ummm- he is the secretary-treasurer of the Suffolk Detectives Association. He wrote the letter to the editor of a newspaper in response to the bashing of the detectives working the case. He wasn't "asked" to write it by the SCPD or the government.

I will repost a copy of the letter in the discussion about he 911 calls. There is no way he is lying or covering anything up as Hawkshaw suggests without any proof. The letter he wrote has been burried by many of the people who think SG was murdered because it paints a dark picture about SG and how she acted.

I think SG was murdered, and that letter, IMO, gives very conflicting information. IMO, it doesn't paint any picture of SG other than her seemingly running for her life.

The detective's word is the only source of information to the contents of the 911 call.

Whether SG's location was known or not at the time of her call is moot since 2 calls to 911 were made from the homes of 2 different people in that neighborhood, and I assume they both knew their home address. Whether or not SCPD was aware of SG's 911 call is meaningless if the responding officer(s) went to the homes where the other 911 calls came from. Statements from those 2 eyewitnesses would be crucial in an initial search of the area.

Even if you take out the details of SG's 911 call (since we only have the word of one detective), IMO, it can be safely assumed that a call to 911 lasting 22 minutes wasn't made to shoot the breeze with the operator. If the contents of the call are the way the detective described, a release of the call to discredit Mr. Ray's statements would be favorable for the SCPD, wouldn't you think?

 

[hawkshaw]

Ummm- he is the secretary-treasurer of the Suffolk Detectives Association. He wrote the letter to the editor of a newspaper in response to the bashing of the detectives working the case. He wasn't "asked" to write it by the SCPD or the government.

I will repost a copy of the letter in the discussion about he 911 calls. There is no way he is lying or covering anything up as Hawkshaw suggests without any proof. The letter he wrote has been burried by many of the people who think SG was murdered because it paints a dark picture about SG and how she acted.

SeaSlug, thanks for clearing that up for me. I seem to have underestimated the detective’s dedication to the people of Suffolk County. It takes a real heroic figure to go public to inform the people about a 911 call his own Department refuses to release. I guess even with 25+ years of service, Det.Stephan has never been intimidated by protocols.

I only wished Det.Stephan would have taken pen to hand and write a letter to Newsday when the Suffolk DA turned his murder investigation upside down. He could have complained that the DA stood in his way to solving the murder of Peter Ghattas, 9/24/03, a police witness that was cooperating with the police department and the district attorney.

He should have questioned why the DA sent an assistant DA with him, to Florida to fetch a prime suspect in the murder of Ghattas. Did the DA send an assistant to make sure Joe Careccia’s rights were protected? Careccia asked for an attorney before he spoke to the detectives and ADA Prudenti. Maybe the ADA had to go with them because certain detectives are known to be hard of hearing and may have missed Careccia asking for his attorney. God, forbid, the detectives got a shot at him before the ADA was able to stop them.

I also wonder if Stephan apologized to Mr.Careccia for tearing away this high school drop-out from his lucrative mortgage/bank fraud schemes. Careccia, at the time of his being persuaded to come back to NY owned and operated: Washington Funding; Globe Mortgage Network; Globe Realty Network; Globe Credit Solutions, and Globe Title Services. Not bad for a high school drop-out.

The Ghattas murder has never been solved, at least to my knowledge it hasn’t. During the trial of my son in law on January, 2006, Stephan’s former detective partner was called to testify in the case. He didn’t have a clue as to why he was called. He still might not know……but I do. When the detective was asked by Mr.Gianelli his opinion whether Careccia is a suspect in this murder, the detective replied : “ I would say he IS a GOOD suspect.” (emph added). He didn’t say he WAS a good suspect, he said he IS a good suspect. Now this is three years after the fact.

Did Det.Stephan find it strange that the DA was going to, and did give Careccia a free pass of 5 years probation and allow him to return to Florida and resume his illegal activities when he was a prime suspect in the murder of a police witness? Did he ask the DA how such a man could be given a free pass, a man that confessed to 38 violent felonies, including: Arson of an occupied building for hire; two home invasions with torture and injury; countless burglaries, not to mention his involvement in a large drug operation right outside of his HQ where Ghattas was murdered.

I only wonder if Det. Stephan isn’t invited to ADA’s annual party on his 47’ Yacht fishing boat snuggled in a slip in Hampton Bays. I wonder if he knows who pays for that party? And does he think this is ethical? What do they discuss at that party? Maybe they are gloating over their ‘accomplishments’ each year.

I would think such a dedicated officer might have taken an interest as to why a nefarious scoundrel of the likes of Careccia exchanged a jail sentence with a cop that was framed for crimes he didn’t do. Maybe it is because Careccia was the neighbor of Spota’s Boy Toy Chief Investigator, now Chief of Department James Burke. Maybe Stephan just didn’t want to rock the boat and let the whole fleet sink.

But thanks to the Detective and SS for clearing the 911 call for us.

 

[hawkshaw]

Ummm- he is the secretary-treasurer of the Suffolk Detectives Association. He wrote the letter to the editor of a newspaper in response to the bashing of the detectives working the case. He wasn't "asked" to write it by the SCPD or the government.

I will repost a copy of the letter in the discussion about he 911 calls. There is no way he is lying or covering anything up as Hawkshaw suggests without any proof. The letter he wrote has been burried by many of the people who think SG was murdered because it paints a dark picture about SG and how she acted.

How am I going to prove anything if they won't let us have information?

 

[Samantha Spade]

Ummm- he is the secretary-treasurer of the Suffolk Detectives Association. He wrote the letter to the editor of a newspaper in response to the bashing of the detectives working the case. He wasn't "asked" to write it by the SCPD or the government.

I will repost a copy of the letter in the discussion about he 911 calls. There is no way he is lying or covering anything up as Hawkshaw suggests without any proof. The letter he wrote has been burried by many of the people who think SG was murdered because it paints a dark picture about SG and how she acted.

SeaSlug,
I'm not assuming the detective was lying to deceive us. I don't know what the hell is going on over there. I just find it very hard to believe that a detective with that much experience would react on emotion and write that letter to the editor during an active homicide/death investigation. Is there anyone else here who sees it as a little impulsive and hazardous to the investigation? Couldn't a defense attorney take those words clearly printed for all to see and have a feeding frenzy? Most cops I know and love are very careful and precise with their communication, always thinking ahead on how their words could possibly be misconstrued and used against them. I was giving the detective the benefit of the doubt thinking maybe he was being guided for a greater good. Call me naive.

 

[fred&edna]

It appears that the detective retired earlier this year:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scpdretirees/message/6017

"Retirement party for Detective Vincent Stephan #675 after 31 yrs of service in the Third Squad, Narcotics, Homicide (17 yrs) and Treasurer of the SDA. Thursday, May 31st, at the West Lake Inn, 322 West Main Street, Patchogue, New York, 11772, from 6-10pm. $75 includes buffet, open bar and gift. Contact Jodi Harvey at the SDA... "

 

[hawkshaw]

http://theerant.yuku.com/topic/49751/Gilgo-Beach-killer-arrested?page=2#.UHMdLaNZ5g0 Hawkshaw...I am interested in reading your posts. In fact I stumbled yesterday upon a site called the e rant. Since this is a bit off topic for this thread I will post my question to you in the crock thread cuz thats where misc. stuff goes. If you have the time and inclination to read it and answer my question that would be great. If not thats cool too. Thanks

I post on that Board under the name Petefio. Don't post as much as I used to. Suffolk PD reads my posts on that Board and makes comments on LI Politics.com/Schwartz Forum/Police Issues.

I posted a very ambigious post about the search for a new SCPD police commissioner. I knew a certain person of high caliber might have been interested in securing the job. No way you could read it and know what I was talking about. Unless......you were reading my emails and you would know who that person was. Got a frantic call from another blogger on 631 that told me to take it down. I was destroying his chances of getting the job - or so she says.

Made another post about a cop that Burke was thinking about screwing, purely for personal reasons. That cop called me and begged me to take it down. Another cop saw the post and knew exactly who and what I was talking about. How could he know unless it was true.

I will go to CrockPot and answer any question you have for me.

 

[hawkshaw]

It appears that the detective retired earlier this year:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scpdretirees/message/6017

"Retirement party for Detective Vincent Stephan #675 after 31 yrs of service in the Third Squad, Narcotics, Homicide (17 yrs) and Treasurer of the SDA. Thursday, May 31st, at the West Lake Inn, 322 West Main Street, Patchogue, New York, 11772, from 6-10pm. $75 includes buffet, open bar and gift. Contact Jodi Harvey at the SDA... "

Det.Stephan retired sometime in 2012. He was the Treasurer of the Detective Endowment Association. I don't know what the protocols are for Suffolk Detective high ranking union members, but I do know in the NYPD a Treasurer as a 100% excusal for working in the field. In other words he may not have been required to show up for work. Whatever he was required to do the role of a Treasurer should occupy a lot of his time. I can only assume he was the Treasurer for several years before he retired. In 2011 he made about $211,000.00. I assume a good portion of that came from Overtime. If true, how he do dat?

In Nassau County the union reps that have full time excusal have 300 hours built into their OT AND they never do a hour of work. In SCPD the President of the PBA, a patrol type union gets the rank of detective, or at a higher pay scale. On top of that he gets a salary, and all the perks that go along with that.

Not hard to figure out who they owe their allegiance to. It is supposed to be to the cops they represent. IMO, it is more like what they owe to their union, the PD that generously pays their salary while conducting union business, and, the cops come last.

In SCPD the biggest ***** of the members is the PBA officials set up a 401K to ease their way into retirement. Some cops are saying their union leaders have sucked up to 1 milion from the dues paying members.

I really don't know if the Suffolk Detective's Union has the same 'benefits' of 300 hrs OT in their contract, but knowing all that you know, what do you think? Do you know what 300 OT converts to for a Suffolk Detective on OT. How about $30,000, for doing nothing on top of nothing. Add on full night differential of 10-20% in addition to their base pay and it starts adding up real fast.

 

[Justiceforever]

I am learning alot from your posts Hawkshaw and I think its time you me or someone opens a thread pertaining to any possible corruption in the SCPD where we can focus this conversation as it relates to these cases. I wont simply because I have no links to provide.

 

[hawkshaw]

TALKING TO THE PRESS: I just remembered I was ordered to speak to the media. It involved the murder of a NYC Police Officer. I was slated to retire only 10 days after the officer was murdered. Unless we caught the killer in 10 days I was off into the free world. We knew who the killer was right from the start. The question was finding him.

Our Chief got into some kind of rift with the media about withholding information. He agreed to make amends by supplying 2 detectives for a heart to heart interview. Chris Borgan of CBS News, an ex-NYPD detective, and a real gentleman, and a female reporter from the Daily News. Chris Borgan never showed up.

The Chief knew I was retiring. We knew each other from way back. He asked me to do the interview. Funny thing he gave me so many restrictions that I could talk about, including not agreeing we made an All-Hands when a cop gets killed. The last thing I want to do is to appear like a BS artist. I get around it and it all goes well. Nice story with no damage done. The chief is happy.

Other cops read the story and seem to be delighted because they think I screwed up. The gall of me to give an interview to the media. The Chief of Detectives is going to be big time ticked off. I am through. Most of the critics don't know I am retiring.

The morale of the story is cops DON'T do interviews in sensitive cases. NEVER unless you are brain dead.

When DA Hogan died a NY Post Reporter named Mike Pearl was going to write a book about him. As I was close to Mr.Hogan my comments about his life was expected. I refused though I knew I had nothing but great and wonderful things to say about our association over the 3 years I was his bodyguard. I knew that no matter what I said there would be someone that would take exception to it.

The book was written without my comments. It was given to Mrs.Hogan, pre-release as a courtesy and for her comments. She got no further than the 2nd page and was outraged. Not that there was anything to be outraged about, but she was big time mad.

You just don't do that, with permission or not. Only a fool would do such a thing. Det.Stephan from my information is no fool, in fact the book on him is he was a pretty damned good detective.

 

[LINative13]

Thank you for the insulting questions. Not sure what I did to deserve them.

I have spent over ten times more hours than 90% of the other members (especially including you) doing research to help solve this case.

Please do not confuse me being proud that my knowledge of this case (and the laws that pertain to it) are accurate with some idiotic childish notion that in some way, shape or form that I could ever be actually proud that a cold-blooded psychotic murderer(s) of other people's daughters is still out there on the loose free to kill again at will.

I want more than anyone to see this case solved. Do not hold a grudge againts me because I accurately predicted almost a year ago that this case would go cold or that I am now accurately pointing out that it is simply against the law to release the 911 tapes from the evening that SG went missing.

I did not write the law nor did I vote for the people who did. If you have a problem with it, perhaps you should take it up with your local state officials.

No reason to shoot the messenger.

Homeboy,
Im from the neighborhood. Most of your "research" is already programmed in my skull. I agreed with you that that case will go cold.


BTW anyone see page A6 of newsday today?