Hoboken SWAT team disbanded

[nycemt728 49]

Heres the story from msn.com. Wow, what does everyone think?

NJ SWAT Team Disbanded After Racy Hooters Photos Emerge

N.J. SWAT Team Disbanded After Racy Hooters Photos Emerge

WNBC-TV

updated 4:35 p.m. ET, Sat., Nov. 17, 2007

HOBOKEN, N.J. - The Hoboken Police Department's SWAT team has been disbanded, just days after officials learned of racy photos showing the unit's commander and other officers cavorting with waitresses from a Hooters restaurant in Alabama.

Images: SWAT Team Controversy

On the same day Hoboken's new public safety director was sworn in, he gave the city's police chief orders to disband the SWAT team and to order the lieutenant at the center of the controversy to desk duty.

After seeing the photos of Lt. Angelo Andriani and other members of the Hoboken police SWAT, newly appointed Public Safety Director Bill Bergin said he had to act decisively.

Bergin listed his reasons for disbanding the SWAT team in a phone interview with Newschannel 4's Pei-Sze Cheng: "The brazenness of the whole situation, because everything in the photographs, which I was shocked at, had Hoboken all over it, from the uniforms, to the police car, the bus that was involved."

Bergin ordered the police chief to disband the SWAT team and to have Andriani return from his extended vacation and assign him to desk duty immediately.

The photos were taken last year on a return trip from Louisiana, where the Hoboken officers helped with the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. They show the waitresses holding shotguns and other weapons belonging to officers under Andriani's command. Some of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit were among the officers present. City Councilman Ruben Ramos Jr. on Friday called for an investigation by the city into the conduct of the officers during the trip.

Andriani is currently at the center of a federal lawsuit against the city of Hoboken filed by five Hispanic officers who accused Andriani of being racist.

"What the police department has done is used the SWAT team as a tool to retaliate against our members," said Richard Rivera of the National Latino Peace Officers Association. "What they're trying to do is pit the officers against our members and blame them."

Bergin said his next move is to sit down with the police chief to discuss the Katrina trip.

"(I want to) sit down with him and see exactly what evidence is involved, and see what transpired with this as far as who gave them the finances to make this trip, and just basically the background on how valuable the trip was," Bergin said in the phone interview.

[SpartanML 0]

Are you kidding me?!?! They're getting disbanded for THAT?! Someone has a personal vendetta goin on over there.... pathetic excuse to disband a critical element of an urban department. I hope it costs the public safety guy his job over such a stupid move like disbanding a swat team.

Edited November 18, 2007 by SpartanML

[Future Fireman 4]

Obviously this thing requires disciplinary action, but to go one step further and disband ESU when some of them (hopefully) weren't involved! WTF! He has somethin stuck in his feces hole. Maybe it's his COMMON SENSE!!!!

Mike

[helicopper 1,050]

Are you kidding me?!?! They're getting disbanded for THAT?! Someone has a personal vendetta goin on over there.... pathetic excuse to disband a critical element of an urban department. I hope it costs the public safety guy his job over such a stupid move like disbanding a swat team.

I was with you up until the weapons entered the equation. Alcohol + Weapons = NO good can come of this! Handing civilians automatic weapons (loaded or not) is irresponsible and contrary to departmental rules and regulations. Yeah, I know the waitresses weren't drinking but the cops obviously were - we have the photos to prove it.

While I agree that "disbanding the team" may be extreme, the stupidity isn't on the part of the public safety director.

Worst case scenario - some time in the future one of those cops is involved in a shooting that winds up in court (as so many do these days). The jury is shown some of those pictures and the witness is asked... "Officer, were these photos taken before or after you killed my client?" implying of course that the cop was drunk when it happened or went out to celebrate afterward. Sure, the defense will object but the point will be made. The cop winds up looking like a crazy drunk and the perps family gets a vacation home courtesy of the taxpayers of Hoboken.

[Dr. Zuki 1]

How often was their SWAT team actually activated???

I spend time in Hoboken on weekends and overall in the last 20 years or so it has become basically an overpriced Yuppie community with some west side mid rise low income projects left over in the Jackson Street area. So is a SWAT team really needed in a community like this considering Jersey City can always send their own if needed???

And does any municipality have a harbor unit for this end of the Hudson River???

Dr. Zuki

Lawrence Hospital

[JJB531 652]

How often was their SWAT team actually activated???

I spend time in Hoboken on weekends and overall in the last 20 years or so it has become basically an overpriced Yuppie community with some west side mid rise low income projects left over in the Jackson Street area. So is a SWAT team really needed in a community like this considering Jersey City can always send their own if needed???

And does any municipality have a harbor unit for this end of the Hudson River???

Dr. Zuki

Lawrence Hospital

What happens when JCESU is dedicated to a job within their own jurisdiction or they are out of their jurisdiction in Hoboken and something kicks off in JC?

[helicopper 1,050]

How often was their SWAT team actually activated???

I spend time in Hoboken on weekends and overall in the last 20 years or so it has become basically an overpriced Yuppie community with some west side mid rise low income projects left over in the Jackson Street area. So is a SWAT team really needed in a community like this considering Jersey City can always send their own if needed???

And does any municipality have a harbor unit for this end of the Hudson River???

Dr. Zuki

Lawrence Hospital

More to the point - why exactly was a SWAT team needed in Louisiana (if that's where they were) following Katrina? What did Hoboken do while their team was thousands of miles away "assisting" on the gulf coast? They sent their team, trucks, and equipment out of state for a period of time - what did they have at home for coverage?

[mmwolf65 1]

You are in uniform, with a police vehicle. On or off duty, act like the professional you are supposed to be.

[Future Fireman 4]

You are in uniform, with a police vehicle. On or off duty, act like the professional you are supposed to be.

Yet we have people who DON'T act like that in the Emergency Services' Community.

Mike

[helicopper 1,050]

Yet we have people who DON'T act like that in the Emergency Services' Community.

Mike

Yes we do - and what do we do about it? We laugh at them and do nothing to correct their errant behavior. If someone does stand up to someone behaving like a moron, they're routinely berated for it.

Where are our priorities?

[Guest TomStrech]

I think that is is rediculous that they have been dispanded for their actions. While they shouldn't have given the civilians the weapons, there are better ways to repremand them for this. Everyone makes mistakes. Nothing bad came of it.

[Guest WolfEMT]

Are you kidding me?!?! They're getting disbanded for THAT?! Someone has a personal vendetta goin on over there.... pathetic excuse to disband a critical element of an urban department. I hope it costs the public safety guy his job over such a stupid move like disbanding a swat team.

Take a look at the pictures. Then ask yourself why a Hooters girl is holding a Heckler & Koch MP-5 automatic weapon. They didn't get disbanded simply for going to Hooters and having a good time; they got disbanded because the idiots exercised poor weapon safety, then had the further idiocy to document that on film.

[Future Fireman 4]

Yes we do - and what do we do about it? We laugh at them and do nothing to correct their errant behavior. If someone does stand up to someone behaving like a moron, they're routinely berated for it.

Where are our priorities?

What are our priorities?? what priorities

Welcome to the stupidity of the media and socialism.

Mike

[JCESU 20]

There are allot of problems with HPD aside from the pictures. The lion's share is attributed to politics. And we know how that goes-the liitle guy gets the short straw. These pictures are just the latest in a firestorm of lawsuits and transfers etc. Admittedly these pictures were a serious lapse of judgement.I am told that the weapons are privately owned by the officers-this still doesn't negate the responsibility or lack there of,but, what is interesting is the timing of the release of the pic's. At the end of the day the department is left with a black eye. The dismatling of the unit, IMO, is a serious lapse in judgement. Even if they are called out once a year they serve a purpose. They aren't an ESU, but a part-time swat unit. They are on patrol and respond when needed. JCPD -ESU is called into Hoboken often enough for our own jobs that take us there as well as to assist HPD. But we have enough work on our own as an ESU to be thought of as white knights for the politicians in the mile square. One of the more critical issues is that they went to LA on their own accord. Departments that were sent down to LA were done as "Mutual Aid" via NJSP and sworn in as LE in LA. Had any of these guys gone down there and taken any action i.e, involved in a shooting, made an arrest or even detained somone, the Officers would have been subjected to the laws of LA as any private citizen would have if they have done the same. Not only would they have been civil litigants but criminally liable as well. A serious issue to say the least even though they may have had the best of intentions.You guys raised some really good questions for not being that savvy with LE it makes you wonder what the command structure was thinking by allowing this to happen.Some may make the argument that they were ordered to go down to LA, but, it would have been an UNLAWFUL ORDER, and should not have been obeyed. This would be one of the rare moments they could have told the boss to go scratch.Ignorance is not a defense. Stay safe