17 Pittsfield Officers on POST Misconduct Database
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Seventeen Pittsfield Police officers can be found in the state's Peace Officer Training Standards Commission's misconduct database with allegations ranging from neglect of duty to racial bias and associating with known criminals.
Some of the incidents date back more than a decade.
"The POST Commission Report is one step towards increasing transparency between policing and communities. Pittsfield has, and will continue, to provide information to the POST Commission," Mayor Linda Tyer said in response to a request for comment.
"There are thousands of interactions between the police and the community in the course of any given year. Most of them occur without incident. Sometimes, however, police officers must be subjected to a review and disciplinary action. The purpose of the report is to provide communities with insight into those situations."
Last week, the POST Commission released a database of law enforcement agency disciplinary records containing more than 3,400 records from 273 law enforcement agencies that are updated through Jan. 31 of this year.
The reports include bias on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, etc.; complaints of excessive, prohibited, or deadly force; misrepresenting or falsifying reports or evidence; and criminal misconduct. It also lists any disciplinary measures.
Pittsfield is among the Berkshire County communities that contributed a misconduct report. It includes 17 officers with incidents ranging from 2006 to 2022.
Officer Darren Derby, who is known for his popular social media content on community engagement, was given a written reprimand in January 2022 for "Unlawful entry, seizure, search, or stop, Other Misconduct Other — conduct unbecoming, Other Misconduct — Unlawful entry, seizure, search, or stop, Criminal Conduct/ Other criminal conduct."
According to the report, this included improper seizure of cell phone, improper dissemination of official
information, improper search of cell phone, and illegal seizure of person and cell phone.
Also in 2022, Officer Steven Haecker was given a 30-plus day suspension for "Criminal Conduct / Other criminal conduct, Truthfulness or Professional Integrity / Other form of untruthfulness, Other Misconduct / Other / conduct unbecoming, Other Misconduct — Improper firearm usage or storage."
Allegation details are redacted but read "(Charged:Misdemeanor), Truthfulness or Professional Integrity (:), Other Misconduct (:), Other Misconduct (:)"
In 2012, Robert Horne was given disciplinary action for not being truthful and conduct unbecoming. The report alleges that he was giving inconsistent answers to internal affairs interview, gambling, associating with known criminals, and visiting prohibited establishments.
This case is the only one with the possibility of termination documented for Pittsfield officers.
Tags: police misconduct,
