NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The New Rochelle City Council met Tuesday in Executive Session with New Rochelle Police Commissioner Patrick Carroll and Deputy Commissioner Anthony Murphy to discuss a controversial proposal to reorganize the police department. City Manager Charles B. Strome confirmed the behind-closed-door session took place during the dinner break, after the Committee of the Whole Meeting and before Citizens to be Heard.
Asked whether holding such a discussion in closed session was permitted under the New York State Open Meeting Law, Strome said he believed it was.
“The Corporation Counsel determined that the executive session was legal,” said Strome. “The City Council discussed specific employees and funding of their positions.”
“Council will have to approve to put and fund the Assistant Commissioner positions in the budget,” added Strome.
Under the plan, current Captains would be moved into a more lucrative civilian pension program, the Police Commissioner would no longer be bound by Civil Service rules in promoting Captains and the position itself would be changed from a police position to a civilian position with a new job title, Assistant Police Commissioner.
Within the department, rank and file police officers and superior officers have panned the move which they see as a power grab by the Commissioner.
“The New Rochelle Police Superior Officers Association represents all Sergeants, Lieutenants and Captains employed in the Police Department of the City of New Rochelle,” said New Rochelle Police Superior Officers Association President Sgt. Neil K. Reynolds. “All of these competitive positions are governed under New York State Civil Service law and this should continue.”
During the closed session, the two Police Commissioners and the City Manager made the case to City Council that were laid out in a memo from the Police Commissioner to the City Manager last August and in interviews with Talk of the Sound.
For example, Police Commissioner Carroll has sought to justify making Captains into civilians is the conflict of interest of police captains overseeing disciplinary hearings for superior officers when the captains are members of the Superior Officers Association.
Talk of the Sound has yet to identify a single case during Carroll’s 17 year tenure as Police Commission where a superior officer — Captain, Lieutenant or Sergeant — was the subject of a disciplinary hearing (if you know of one please let us know).
There were two Sergeants who were arrested and charged criminally during that time. Neither faced a disciplinary hearing as they were separated from the department as a result of the criminal charges.
Some of have wondered why, if the Police Commissioner feels he can not trust the current Captains to be professional in carrying out their duties, he wishes to promote them to the position of Assistant Police Commission in the first place.
RELATED:
Proposed New Rochelle Police Reorganization Would Stand Captain’s Eligibility List on its Head
New Rochelle to Reorganize Police Department, Captains To Become Assistant Police Commissioners
Assistant Police Commissioner Job Specifications
Civil Service Watch: New Rochelle Civil Service Meeting – October 17, 2012
THEY ARE TRYING THE SAME THING WITH THE SECTION 8 STAFF!!!!
When the Director of the NR Section 8 department retired in December, the “temporary” commissioner of Developement, INSTEAD OF PROMOTING FROM WITHIN, GAVE THE JOB TO HER FRIEND!! A $100,000+ a year salary to someone who hasn’t worked in the Section 8 field for over 10 years!! AND SHE’S NOT A NEW ROCHELLE RESIDENT!
An IP has been filed by the CSEA Union, and the job has been posted again, FOR THE 3rd TIME!! Sounds like someone needed time to fake a new address!!!
City Hall is out of control!! Bob, PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS!!! You won’t believe what is going on!
I have been doing the Talk of
I have been doing the Talk of the Sound stories about this and would like to know more. It seems there have been several changes in Section 8. I was videotaping one meeting where there were som concerned” employees who felt they were not being fairly pronoted. Can we speak?
Section 8
Sure John, where can I contact you?
To
Seems to me that jobs in the city are not being awarded fairly. Instead of people being selected for their merit, they are being picked for insignificant reasons. The Civil Service Commission seems to first find the person they want, and then establishes the criteria for the job so the person they want gets picked.
In this section 8 situation, it appears the “director” has been selected and the job specs for the position will now be up so they match the new “director’s” qualifications.