NEW ROCHELLE, NY (December 19, 2022) — The Termination Hearing of New Rochelle Police Detective Michael Vaccaro got underway this morning behind closed doors at the City Council Conference Room at City Hall.
The hearing dates were originally scheduled for September then November, but adjourned to start today with adjourn dates on January 10 and January 17, 2023.
Police disciplinary hearings are rare in New Rochelle as most cases are settled with a stipulation agreement which includes an admission of guilt and a negotiated disciplinary action. In the rare instance when a case goes to a hearing, the decision on whether the hearing is open to the public rests with the accused officer. A public disciplinary hearing is almost unheard of in New Rochelle.
In recent memory, only one disciplinary was open to the public. In 2021, Sergeant Kimberly Diniz completed two days of hearings before choosing to resign from the New Rochelle Police Department before a decision was made. Talk of the Sound attended both days of the hearing. Robert Cox is the only member of the press to ever sit in on a New Rochelle Police Department disciplinary hearing, according to New Rochelle Police Department officials.
The charges against Vaccaro will not be a public record subject to FOIL unless and until the charges are sustained.
The hearing is presided over by a hearing officer, often an active or retired judge. A court stenographer creates a record of the proceedings.
The defendant is represented by an attorney and is accompanied by a PBA representative.
Vincent Toomey, a labor attorney, represents the City of New Rochelle.
At the hearing today, the New Rochelle Police Department was represented by Captain Neil Reynolds and Lt. Robert Wenzler of NRPD Internal Affairs.
The outcome will be announced publicly.
Michael Vaccaro has been suspended since February 2021 and remains on administrative paid leave pending the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings now underway.
Michael Vaccaro – Malik Fogg Archive
Links to Past Michael Vacarro – Malik Fogg Related Stories + Records, Videos, Audios, etc. that is regularly updated as new developments occur. The most recent stories linked below:
Day Four: Trial of New Rochelle Police Detective Michael Vaccaro Ends in Not Guilty Verdict
Why Michael Vaccaro Will Not Be Fired for Punching Malik Fogg in the Head
Federal Judge Assigns Mediator in Civil Rights Lawsuit Against New Rochelle Police Detective