Village police Chief Steven Conley announced he will retire at the end of August following a series of accusations of his misconduct over the last two years.
While he continues to deny any wrongdoing, Conley, 46, said it is unfair to the village and police department to continue in the position.
“I’ve had enough,” he said. “It seems like because of these last few issues we’re getting a lot of frivolous complaints; people trying to jump on the band wagon.”
Village officials on Tuesday stated in a release the retirement is effective Aug., 30. Mayor Frank Moracco did not respond to requests for comment.
An election-night scuffle in 2008 started the recent build-up of accusations against Conley. The incident between a candidate for trustee’s husband, Harold Griffin, and village officials, including an out-of-uniform Conley and Moracco, resulted in Griffin’s arrest and a bench trial.
Griffin was found not guilty and has since filed a federal lawsuit against the village and officials involved in the incident.
A confrontation between Griffin and Conley in May the following year at a Stewart’s Shop convenience store also led to Griffin’s arrest. The charges were dismissed, leading to another lawsuit against the village and Conley.
The dismissal was directly attributed to a legal claim against Conley made by fellow village police Officer Samuel Ameduri III. Ameduri alleged Conley during a February 2010 incident grabbed him by the throat after he refused to change sworn testimony.
County Coroner Daniel Enea also filed a claim with the village that accused Conley of intimidating and harassing him during a December 2009 death investigation.
The lawsuits filed by Griffin are both underway in Syracuse and Utica courts, respectively, according to his attorney, Mark Wolber.
District Attorney John Crandall refused to comment on the other two alleged incidents and dismissed the potential impact of a retirement on investigations in general.
“Whether he is the police chief or not the police chief has no bearing on any investigation,” Crandall said.
Conley will retire after 20 years in law enforcement, including 12 years with the Utica Police Department, reaching the rank of investigator, and eight years with the village police department, where he ascended to sergeant in 2005 and chief in 2006. He also has served part-time with the Frankfort Town Police Department.
After discussing the decision with family, Conley said he plans to move out of New York state and continue to work in a field that is not related to law enforcement.
The most recent claim by Ameduri was especially difficult for the long-time police officer. Conley, who repeatedly denied that the incident took place, said the actions by a fellow officer “surprised and disappointed” him.
But an accusation by one police officer of another, regardless of its validity, does have consequences, according to Crandall.
“The issue is more about when you have one officer accusing another officer, and someone is being untruthful, you have a credibility issue,” Crandall said.
As for the lawsuits against the village and Conley, Conley’s decision to retire will likely have little impact, according to Wolber.
“Considering the fact that he’s retired, I don’t think it will play much of a role in it,” Wolber said. If the village suspended him, discharged him or Conley quit there would be some acknowledgment of wrongdoing, he added.
The village board’s decision to not sanction Conley during the entire process may play a role in court, however.
Despite several claims related to Conley’s alleged misconduct, the village did nothing to sanction Conley, Wolber said, putting them in the position of having done nothing in terms of the pattern of conduct.
The village board on Tuesday did announce the appointment of a public safety commissioner, Mark Harris, who lost a June re-election bid for village trustee. The position will head up a selection committee of the village board to review potential candidates for the police chief position.
Current trustees John Spina and Richard Adams Jr. are also on the committee. The members will review input from the Herkimer County Civil Service Commission, which conducted a canvass of potential candidates.
Harris declined to answer e-mailed questions on his appointment, saying only that it is an unpaid position.
The village board recently held a meeting to discuss the candidates with county Personnel Officer Steven Billings. The issue was discussed in executive session, as allowed under the Open Meetings Law, and no further information has been released on the process.
While there are two candidates who have expressed official interest in the position, Billings, who could not be reached Tuesday, has said a third candidate has a restricted acceptance due to an expired classification.
The restriction could allow the village board to choose a candidate who is not on the list of interested eligible candidates involved in the canvass process.
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Village police Chief Steven Conley announced he will retire at the end of August following a series of accusations of his misconduct over the last two years.
While he continues to deny any wrongdoing, Conley, 46, said it is unfair to the village and police department to continue in the position.
“I’ve had enough,” he said. “It seems like because of these last few issues we’re getting a lot of frivolous complaints; people trying to jump on the band wagon.”
Village officials on Tuesday stated in a release the retirement is effective Aug., 30. Mayor Frank Moracco did not respond to requests for comment.
An election-night scuffle in 2008 started the recent build-up of accusations against Conley. The incident between a candidate for trustee’s husband, Harold Griffin, and village officials, including an out-of-uniform Conley and Moracco, resulted in Griffin’s arrest and a bench trial.
Griffin was found not guilty and has since filed a federal lawsuit against the village and officials involved in the incident.
A confrontation between Griffin and Conley in May the following year at a Stewart’s Shop convenience store also led to Griffin’s arrest. The charges were dismissed, leading to another lawsuit against the village and Conley.
The dismissal was directly attributed to a legal claim against Conley made by fellow village police Officer Samuel Ameduri III. Ameduri alleged Conley during a February 2010 incident grabbed him by the throat after he refused to change sworn testimony.
County Coroner Daniel Enea also filed a claim with the village that accused Conley of intimidating and harassing him during a December 2009 death investigation.
The lawsuits filed by Griffin are both underway in Syracuse and Utica courts, respectively, according to his attorney, Mark Wolber.
District Attorney John Crandall refused to comment on the other two alleged incidents and dismissed the potential impact of a retirement on investigations in general.
“Whether he is the police chief or not the police chief has no bearing on any investigation,” Crandall said.
Conley will retire after 20 years in law enforcement, including 12 years with the Utica Police Department, reaching the rank of investigator, and eight years with the village police department, where he ascended to sergeant in 2005 and chief in 2006. He also has served part-time with the Frankfort Town Police Department.
After discussing the decision with family, Conley said he plans to move out of New York state and continue to work in a field that is not related to law enforcement.
The most recent claim by Ameduri was especially difficult for the long-time police officer. Conley, who repeatedly denied that the incident took place, said the actions by a fellow officer “surprised and disappointed” him.
But an accusation by one police officer of another, regardless of its validity, does have consequences, according to Crandall.
“The issue is more about when you have one officer accusing another officer, and someone is being untruthful, you have a credibility issue,” Crandall said.
As for the lawsuits against the village and Conley, Conley’s decision to retire will likely have little impact, according to Wolber.
“Considering the fact that he’s retired, I don’t think it will play much of a role in it,” Wolber said. If the village suspended him, discharged him or Conley quit there would be some acknowledgment of wrongdoing, he added.
The village board’s decision to not sanction Conley during the entire process may play a role in court, however.
Despite several claims related to Conley’s alleged misconduct, the village did nothing to sanction Conley, Wolber said, putting them in the position of having done nothing in terms of the pattern of conduct.
The village board on Tuesday did announce the appointment of a public safety commissioner, Mark Harris, who lost a June re-election bid for village trustee. The position will head up a selection committee of the village board to review potential candidates for the police chief position.
Current trustees John Spina and Richard Adams Jr. are also on the committee. The members will review input from the Herkimer County Civil Service Commission, which conducted a canvass of potential candidates.
Harris declined to answer e-mailed questions on his appointment, saying only that it is an unpaid position.
The village board recently held a meeting to discuss the candidates with county Personnel Officer Steven Billings. The issue was discussed in executive session, as allowed under the Open Meetings Law, and no further information has been released on the process.
While there are two candidates who have expressed official interest in the position, Billings, who could not be reached Tuesday, has said a third candidate has a restricted acceptance due to an expired classification.
The restriction could allow the village board to choose a candidate who is not on the list of interested eligible candidates involved in the canvass process.
