Five Former Ocean Beach Police Officers Terminated for Breaching Blue Wall of Silence, Complaint Alleges

NEW YORK, March 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Yesterday afternoon, five former police officers from the Incorporated Village of Ocean Beach, a seaside resort located on Fire Island known for its tranquil days and wild nights, filed a federal lawsuit in the Eastern District of New York accusing Ocean Beach, the Ocean Beach Police Department, Acting Deputy Chief George Hesse and others of unlawfully terminating their employment in response to their opposition to, and refusal to participate in, a regime marred by corruption, scandal and police brutality.

The five officers, Edward Carter, Frank Fiorillo, Kevin Lamm, Joseph Nofi and Thomas Snyder, comprise approximately 35 years of dedicated police service to the Village of Ocean Beach. Each of these officers has an unblemished police record. According to the 47-page complaint, these officers were summarily terminated after they breached the "Blue Wall of Silence" by, among other things, refusing to amend official documents and cooperate in the cover- up of a violent incident of police brutality against three civilians, as well as for complaining about Acting Deputy Chief Hesse's selective enforcement of the laws. The complaint also alleges that the officers repeatedly complained about:

  -- Other officers serving alcohol to an alleged domestic abuse victim in
     an effort to convince her not to file a domestic incident report
     against the abuser who was a personal friend of Hesse and other
     officers.
  -- On-duty officers drinking alcohol both inside and outside of the police
     station, while patrolling in police vehicles and at the local bars.
     The complaint alleges Hesse and other officers drank beer that was
     confiscated from people on the beach, and even would tell the officers
     what brands of beer to confiscate.
  -- The hiring of officers who were not duly certified by Suffolk County
     Civil Service, and who obtained firearms certification even though
     they did not have appropriate pistol permits or proper training by the
     Suffolk County Police Academy or any other accredited police training
     agency in Suffolk County.
  -- The police department and Village being left dangerously short of
     personnel when the officers were assigned to chauffer Acting Deputy
     Chief Hesse to and from the residence of a known drug dealer, who is a
     personal friend of his, as well as to other locations inside and out of
     the Village for Hesse to engage in sexual escapades.  When Hesse would
     return from such locations, he would brag about sleeping with multiple
     women, including making such comments as "She just had the German
     Sausage."
  -- Acting Deputy Chief Hesse ordering the officers not to issue summons to
     local bars whose bartenders delivered alcohol to Hesse and his friends
     at the police station, and to stay away from certain locations where
     known drug dealers conducted business and under-aged drinking was
     rampant.
  -- Acting Deputy Chief Hesse destroying summons that the officers issued
     to his friends and acquaintances in the Village.
  -- The failure to properly secure and inventory certain illicit drugs and
     related drug paraphernalia that were duly confiscated and improperly
     stored in Hesse's desk drawer and on a shelf above his desk.

"These five officers have shown extraordinary courage in coming forward. Their rights will be fully vindicated at trial," said Douglas H. Wigdor, their attorney who has recent trial verdicts in Federal Court against Wal-Mart for $7.5 million and the Source Magazine and its former owners for nearly $8 million. "As a former prosecutor here in Suffolk County, I was shocked to learn that such a pattern of corruption, police brutality and unlawfulness can exist within the police department in Ocean Beach, a resort town known for family vacations."

The officers also allege that their repeated complaints were ignored, without any regard for any resulting threat to public safety and the officers' own safety. Rather than take appropriate action in response to these complaints, the officers were called "rats," and repeatedly berated, mocked and condemned in front of alleged perpetrators, civilians and other officers. "I served the people of the Village and tried to protect its residents and visitors for six years. Although I loved working in the Village, every time I tried to help clean up the department I was ridiculed by Hesse and his cronies, and eventually fired for doing my job as a police officer," stated Officer Nofi.

"We graduated from the Suffolk County Police Academy and became police officers to serve and protect the people of Ocean Beach. Although we did that to the best of our ability, we were prevented from upholding the law by George Hesse and his handpicked clique of uncertified police officers," said Officer Lamm. "There were intoxicated officers carrying loaded firearms near families who brought their kids to Ocean Beach for summer vacation. We could not put up with it," added Officer Carter.

Commenting on the decision not to engage in the cover-up of a vicious incident of police brutality, Officer Snyder stated, "We decided to take a stand against the corrupt regime headed by George Hesse because the visitors and residents of Ocean Beach deserve to know that their lives are being compromised each and every day."

According to the complaint, even after Acting Deputy Chief Hesse unlawfully terminated the officers' employment, he has engaged in a concerted effort to defame the officers and interfere with their attempts to achieve new employment in law enforcement by maliciously providing false information to prospective employers. "After four dedicated years of service to the Village, I believe and fear my law enforcement career might be over because of false information being provided to other Departments by Hesse," stated Officer Fiorillo.

About Thompson Wigdor & Gilly:

Thompson Wigdor & Gilly LLP http://twglawyers.com/ is a law firm specializing in high-profile, complex litigation and investigations as well as counseling clients in a wide array of substantive legal areas, including employment law, criminal law, sports and entertainment law, labor relations and civil rights. They can be reached at 212.239.9292 or info@twglawyers.com.

  CONTACT:
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  350 Fifth Avenue - Suite 5720
  New York, N.Y. 10118
  212.239.9292
  dwigdor@twglawyers.com