by Amy Sara Clark Thursday February 28, 2008, 8:33 PM
HOBOKEN -- The city issued disciplinary charges against "a number" of police officers connected to the SWAT scandal today, but is keeping mum on the details.
"This is a personnel matter ... and it's not appropriate to say more than we're saying," Hoboken Corporation Counsel Steven Kleinman said. Kleinman declined to say how many people are to be disciplined, who they are, or what the disciplinary actions are.
"That's absurd," said Richard Rivera, a spokesman for the state chapter of the National Latino Peace Officer Association, after learning that the report would not be made public. "This is something that has rocked the city for a number of months and the public should be included in the findings that took place."
The scandal was set off when five Latino cops sued the SWAT unit's former leader, Lt. Angelo Andriani, Police Chief Carmen LaBruno and the city for alleged discrimination and for creating a hostile work environment.
They released racy photos of SWAT team members cavorting with Hooters waitresses and topless women during a Hurricane Katrina relief trips to Kenner, La., in 2005 and to New Orleans during Mardi Gras in 2006.
The SWAT team was disbanded and David Corrigan, the city's labor counsel, led an investigation into the Hoboken Police Department. He delievered the long-awaited report of the probe to Public Safety Director Bill Bergin yesterday, which led to the charges.
Several people connected to the case say they fear Corrigan's report will be biased because he works for the city as a consultant.
"How can you have someone conducting an investigation who is an employee of the city?" said Louis Zayas, who represents the five Latino officers in their lawsuit.
Rivera agreed. "This is not an independent review," he said. "It went from being an independent investigation to be being an internal witch hunt."
Kleinman said that Zayas filed motions to have Corrigan disqualified to federal and state courts, but that both courts dismissed them.
Bergin said additional charges are likely to follow, but that details will not be released at least until the cops have had a chance to appeal and the cases were reviewed internally by an "independent" but yet-to-be-chosen hearing officer. Kleinman said he could not say if the names and charges would ever be released.
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