Nassau officers disciplined for towing colleague's boat

[onthejob]

Nassau police officers disciplined for towing colleague's boat
May 4, 2014 by BILL BLEYER / [e-mail]


The Nassau police department has disciplined four marine bureau officers for using a county patrol vessel to tow a private boat registered to a retired colleague.

The officers used the county boat without authorization in April 2013 to move the sailboat out of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park marina in Oyster Bay to a mooring in the harbor.

"This incident was thoroughly investigated by the Nassau County Police Department's Internal Affairs Bureau," said Insp. Kenneth Lack, a police spokesman. "Those officers who violated the departmental rules and regulations were appropriately disciplined by the commissioner of police." Lack said by law he was not allowed to disclose the penalty.

Routine towing of recreational boats is almost always done by commercial towing companies, said Adam Wheeler, vice president for towing services for the Virginia-based Boat Owners Association of the United States. He and other boating experts said most law enforcement vessels only tow boats that are in immediate danger.

An Oyster Bay Town bay constable, who said he did not want to be identified for fear of retribution, photographed the four officers moving the sailboat on April 1, 2013, and provided the images to Newsday, police and town officials.

Nassau police union chief James Carver identified the officers on the boat as Arthur Dalessandro of Lake Grove; Norman McCloy of Bayville, who Carver said has since retired; Robert J. Schmidgall, who is also the North Massapequa fire chief; and John Klesseraht of Yaphank. None responded to calls seeking comment.

A source close to the case said McCloy lost 20 days pay as part of an agreement to retire. Details of the disciplinary action for the other three could not be determined.

"This is obviously a noncriminal event here . . . a minor violation of rules and regulations, and that's kept in-house," Carver said.

At the time the sailboat, named Mariah, was in the marina, it was registered to retired Nassau marine bureau officer William Scharp of Farmingdale, records show. Sources said it was operated by Dalessandro for the past few years.

An Oyster Bay Town bay constable, who said he did not want to be identified for fear of retribution, photographed the four officers moving the sailboat on April 1, 2013, and provided the images to Newsday, police and town officials.

I guess the Oyster Bay Constables don't believe in courtesy. Political hacks.

[mrwizard]

"An Oyster Bay Town bay constable, who said he did not want to be identified for fear of retribution, photographed the four officers moving the sailboat on April 1, 2013, and provided the images to Newsday"

This gutless pr1ck just put a bullseye on the back of all of his co-workers. "Everybody goes"

[siggy]

Things are different on the water. Total strangers help each other. I bet if any John Q. Citizen struck up a conversation with almost any MAB officer saying his boat that was docked there and needed to be moved to moor a short distance away, they would probably help them. I've helped people I didn't know and been helped. Anyway this is nonsense and should not be news. Hope the Bay Constable gets his.

[tywebb]

Pretty shabby ---

[mrwizard]

May 5, 2014 9:37:45 GMT -5 siggy said:

Things are different on the water. Total strangers help each other.

Exactly. The TOB Constable is a political hack with an axe to grind. If he's smart he's going to give up alcohol, completely. Walking to work would probably be a good idea too.

[coots]

TOB Constable (a little man) probably failed the background test for the Nassau Co job, now he has it in for all Nassau Cops. He better not display his tin if he gets stopped, Karma's a bitch.

[coots]

Oyster Bay Hires FBI Veteran to Clean up Bay Constable Unit




Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto has hired a veteran FBI agent as "a new sheriff in town" to straighten out the troubled bay constable unit.

Michael Craft left the FBI Thursday and will start later this month in a newly created public safety department position as a deputy commissioner for the town -- the department's third. But he will also function as a legal troubleshooter for Venditto.

Craft, 55, a longtime boater who will be paid $120,000 a year, has been an FBI special agent on the white-collar crimes squad for Nassau and Suffolk since 1991.

He replaces John Antetomaso, the supervisor of conservation and waterways reassigned in September after admitting to storing three of his family's boats in a town building. He also acknowledged ordering three bay constables to bring him gasoline when a friend's boat he was on in Islip ran out of fuel.

Venditto said Craft will also replace Colin O'Donnell, his special counsel from 2006 until last March when he was appointed a district court judge. O'Donnell's salary was $135,993.

But Venditto said "his primary focus is going to be the bay constables." The town employs 18 full-time and part-time constables to patrol town waters and enforce safety, fishing and other laws.

Town Attorney Leonard Genova investigated allegations that Antetomaso and other members of the bay constable unit misused personnel and equipment and submitted a report to the district attorney's office in June.

John Byrne, spokesman for Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, said: "Investigators have reviewed allegations of misconduct by John Antetomaso. At this time, the evidence does not rise to a crime provable beyond reasonable doubt." The investigation remains open, and anyone with information is encouraged to contact Rice's office.

Antetomaso, 46, retains his title, $120,320 salary and town vehicle. His duties are assessing storm-damaged waterways and docks, arranging for removal of waterway debris and abandoned or sunken boats, maintaining bay constable training records; revamping the eel grass removal program; overseeing placement of buoys and reviewing policies and equipment for compliance with federal worker safety regulations; and coordinating openings of shellfish areas.

But, "his duties don't include having any contact with bay constables," town spokeswoman Marta Kane said.

Antetomaso declined to comment.

"There are conflicting allegations coming out of the bay constables," Venditto said. "We need to unravel everything and find out what the truth is."

He said Craft will have authority to alter work assignments and buy new equipment. Two bay constables have alleged in a lawsuit and a grievance that patrol boats are waterlogged and lack safety equipment



Hmm, could be this Bay Constable was shyting in his pants knowing this shoo "the new sheriff in town" is looking into everything they do.

[doubledip]

Look behind the Bay Constable boat looks like a bay constable is working on his company truck in a town building down in Burns Park this past April on a Tuesday Night at 1915hrs. Why isn't Newsday all over this;

Johns Tree Service

[tornado]

A reckoning is coming......

[googleyes]

Wasn't the FBI guy. If you are going to be a weazel at least have the stones to put your name behind it. So eager to notify the press but wants HIS NAME OUT OF IT. First class toolbag.