Saranac Lake, New York - Suspended Police Chief Fired
01/15/07 By Kim Smith Dedam, Courtesy of The Press Republican
Saranac Lake, N.Y. -- Village trustees fired suspended Police Chief Donald G. Perryman Jr. after reviewing 67 pages of findings and recommendations from an administrative officer.
Perryman was suspended in early October, when events surrounding a police patrol-car accident went to administrative hearing.
Officer Robert S. Hite’s presided over two days of testimony that brought forward evidence and eyewitness accounts of an Oct. 5, 2005, crash involving two Saranac Police officers, who totaled a police car just outside the village limits after spending the day in Plattsburgh.
The officers, Sgt. Bruce Nason and Casey Reardon, had been at a police training seminar that morning. Both admitted drinking alcohol between noon and 4 p.m. before driving back to the Saranac Lake police station.
Investigation of the crash was delayed under Perryman’s watch until the day after the crash; no breathalyzer or blood-alcohol testing was ever done.
Hite’s review found Perryman guilty of misconduct as defined in 12 specifications.
He also found Perryman guilty of “creating the appearance of facilitating a coverup” and of “not taking appropriate steps on the evening of October 5, 2005, to address the behavior and conduct” of Nason for “operating a police vehicle after consuming alcoholic beverages.”
The report found Perryman not guilty of 14 definitions of incompetence.
In the report, Hite said: “Chief Perryman engaged in a deliberate course of conduct to prevent the State Police from properly and thoroughly investigating the accident.
“A simple breathalyzer test and an opportunity for Trooper (John) Moody that evening would have prevented the substantial controversy, embarrassment and mistrust of the Saranac Lake Police Department that resulted from the conduct of the chief and other members of the Saranac Lake Police Department on the evening of October 5, 2005.”
The Village Board, in a meeting held in executive session Tuesday night, decided to fire Perryman.
In a statement released Wednesday, trustees said Perryman caused a breach of integrity, one that “is absolutely essential to public trust. And public trust is the foundation upon which all of the activities of a police department are built.”
According to minutes from the closed session, trustees unanimously voted to terminate Perryman.
“Based upon the serious misconduct which has been identified to, but not be limited to, engaging in a deliberate course of conduct to prevent the State Police from properly and thoroughly investigating the events and accident of October 5, 2005, the village has elected to terminate Mr. Perryman’s employment with the village, effective immediately.”
Hite went so far as to call Perryman’s actions “willful” and “deceitful.” “Chief Perryman engaged in willful, deceitful conduct. Chief Perryman’s conduct has undoubtedly eroded the public trust and caused a negative impact on the integrity of the Saranac Lake Police Department, thereby shaking its foundation.”
Trustee Susan Waters moved to terminate Perryman “with cause, effective immediately,” and was seconded by Trustee Christina Fontana.
Attorney Lori Cantwell, who represented the village at the hearing, called the findings “the correct outcome.”
“The village has zero tolerance for what Chief Perryman engaged in and will continue to have this position with all its law-enforcement personnel,” she said.
Cantwell said she was not surprised by anything in the report.
“The village spent an extensive amount of time bringing forward the charges based on solid evidence.”
The two officers involved in the accident are also under suspension pending review of their actions by members of the police union.
Perryman was unable to be reached for comment Wednesday morning.
His attorney, Greg LaDuke, did not return phone calls.
Retrieved January 15, 2007 from http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?id=34399&siteSection=1
Saranac Lake, N.Y. -- Village trustees fired suspended Police Chief Donald G. Perryman Jr. after reviewing 67 pages of findings and recommendations from an administrative officer.
Perryman was suspended in early October, when events surrounding a police patrol-car accident went to administrative hearing.
Officer Robert S. Hite’s presided over two days of testimony that brought forward evidence and eyewitness accounts of an Oct. 5, 2005, crash involving two Saranac Police officers, who totaled a police car just outside the village limits after spending the day in Plattsburgh.
The officers, Sgt. Bruce Nason and Casey Reardon, had been at a police training seminar that morning. Both admitted drinking alcohol between noon and 4 p.m. before driving back to the Saranac Lake police station.
Investigation of the crash was delayed under Perryman’s watch until the day after the crash; no breathalyzer or blood-alcohol testing was ever done.
Hite’s review found Perryman guilty of misconduct as defined in 12 specifications.
He also found Perryman guilty of “creating the appearance of facilitating a coverup” and of “not taking appropriate steps on the evening of October 5, 2005, to address the behavior and conduct” of Nason for “operating a police vehicle after consuming alcoholic beverages.”
The report found Perryman not guilty of 14 definitions of incompetence.
In the report, Hite said: “Chief Perryman engaged in a deliberate course of conduct to prevent the State Police from properly and thoroughly investigating the accident.
“A simple breathalyzer test and an opportunity for Trooper (John) Moody that evening would have prevented the substantial controversy, embarrassment and mistrust of the Saranac Lake Police Department that resulted from the conduct of the chief and other members of the Saranac Lake Police Department on the evening of October 5, 2005.”
The Village Board, in a meeting held in executive session Tuesday night, decided to fire Perryman.
In a statement released Wednesday, trustees said Perryman caused a breach of integrity, one that “is absolutely essential to public trust. And public trust is the foundation upon which all of the activities of a police department are built.”
According to minutes from the closed session, trustees unanimously voted to terminate Perryman.
“Based upon the serious misconduct which has been identified to, but not be limited to, engaging in a deliberate course of conduct to prevent the State Police from properly and thoroughly investigating the events and accident of October 5, 2005, the village has elected to terminate Mr. Perryman’s employment with the village, effective immediately.”
Hite went so far as to call Perryman’s actions “willful” and “deceitful.” “Chief Perryman engaged in willful, deceitful conduct. Chief Perryman’s conduct has undoubtedly eroded the public trust and caused a negative impact on the integrity of the Saranac Lake Police Department, thereby shaking its foundation.”
Trustee Susan Waters moved to terminate Perryman “with cause, effective immediately,” and was seconded by Trustee Christina Fontana.
Attorney Lori Cantwell, who represented the village at the hearing, called the findings “the correct outcome.”
“The village has zero tolerance for what Chief Perryman engaged in and will continue to have this position with all its law-enforcement personnel,” she said.
Cantwell said she was not surprised by anything in the report.
“The village spent an extensive amount of time bringing forward the charges based on solid evidence.”
The two officers involved in the accident are also under suspension pending review of their actions by members of the police union.
Perryman was unable to be reached for comment Wednesday morning.
His attorney, Greg LaDuke, did not return phone calls.
Retrieved January 15, 2007 from http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?id=34399&siteSection=1