Caucus and Council Meeting Combined for Monday Night

Narberth Borough will hold a combined Caucus and Council meeting this month.  The meeting is tonight Monday, July 14th at 7:30pm in Borough Hall.  This meeting follows the 7pm Public Safety Committee meeting.  The caucus meeting is your opportunity to speak with council and let them know your thoughts on any issue that concerns you.  The minutes from the previous meeting are here in Microsoft Word format. 

It is expected that the Planning Commission will present their recent findings and propose a no-chain-store ordinance for the business district.

This week's public forum follows last week's budget tutorial presented by Borough Manager Bill Martin to a small audience of around ten interested citizens.  Bill will continue his presentation on July 17th at 7:30pm.  Copies of the current budget are available for pickup at the Borough Office and also at the meeting itself.

Comments

[Withholding Name for Now]

I encourage residents who are concerned about the dangerous behavior of one Narberth Boro police officer to attend the Council meeting tonight. In followup to an earlier posted comment (below), I am attending and speaking to the issue:

I am a Narberth resident who is in support of keeping the police dept. for public policy reasons. However, I too, am afraid of one of the officers - especially following a very recent incident which - if reported - SHOULD lead to his dismissal.
The concern is that I have complained regarding the same officer in the past and nothing, that I know of, was ever done. This man is a danger - not an asset - to the citizens of this borough. Does anyone know how to get citizens of this borough together with others who have legitimate complaints regarding police intimidation and brutality by one officer in particular? Perhaps the advantage of numbers will help in getting this man into a profession in which he is not a danger to others.

[Withholding Name for Now]

Below is a copy of the letter I read last night at the Council meeting. I have been told there will be an investigation. I urge all residents with similar complaints regarding Officer C. to get involved NOW if you hope to have a police force Narberth can feel safe with.

FOR THE BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING JULY 14, 2008:
PUBLIC STATEMENT REGARDING THE ACTIONS OF ONE NARBERTH POLICE OFFICER

I want to thank the Narberth Borough Council for the opportunity to speak tonight. I will make it short and to the point. In April of this year, I added my concerns to the Council Borough record regarding the disbanding of the Narberth Police Dept. I still stand behind my opinion – as a law and social policy scholar – that such action is bad public and safety policy. This is an entirely different matter and concerns only one member of our police force.

On behalf of my family and other families who have endured intimidating, bizarre, and/or cruel actions by one Narberth Boro police officer, I am making this statement publicly – not only for the record, but for the protection and privacy of my family and others. For the same reasons, I am not revealing names in this statement. Should the Borough Council have further interest in this matter, I am prepared to reveal additional information.

On Sunday, June 29th, the Narberth Police Dept. received a call from in which the caller expressed concern for a “missing adult” who had allegedly threatened suicide. The caller was seeking help from the Narberth Police Department in finding
the “missing adult” (MA). The first question asked of the caller by the police officer in question (POIQ) was something to the effect of - “do you know if this MA has been saying anything negative about me during the Narberth/Lower Merion controversy?” The caller refused to respond to the question, indicating it was not relevant.

Furthermore, the allegations of a suicide threat by the MA were totally unsubstantiated. When the parties involved called again to say the MA was home and fine, the police arrived shortly after. They informed the parties that police protocol require that the MA be taken by them to Bryn Mawr Emergency Room (BMER) for possible overdose (even though all civilian parties agreed that there was no overdose nor was there a history of mental illness, suicide threats, or overdoses by the MA).

The POIQ insisted on coming into the home of the parties and tried to enter the bedroom of the MA several times while the MA was dressing. Prior to placing the MA in the police car, the POIQ indicated that while they were required to handcuff the MA, they would not this time if the MA would promise to “behave.”
During the drive to BMER, the POIQ questioned the MA on who might have said negative things regarding him in the course of the Narberth/Lower Merion police controversy. He also informed the MA that all that was being said in the police car was being videotaped. Upon arrival at BMER, the POIQ informed the MA that once released (if released) a Narberth police officer would return the MA home.

For the next five hours, the MA was constantly monitored by an attendant as bloodwork was drawn, vital signs taken, and the body investigated for cuts or bruises. There were no cuts or bruises, there was no evidence of alcohol or illegal drug consumption, and no evidence of overdose. When BMER finally released the MA, the diagnosis presented was “anxiety.” After numerous unreturned calls to the Narberth Police Dept., the MA gave up and the hospital provided transportation to the MA’s home. The MA attempted to obtain a copy of the police report and on July 14th Lieutenant Pavoni informed the MA that obtaining a copy of the report would require a subpoena!

Whether or not these actions are police protocol/a matter of legal procedure is certainly important, but not so important as the inappropriate way(s) in which the situation was handled by the POIQ and the humiliation and trauma endured by all civilian parties involved, especially the MA. Sadly, this is not the first time that this family, my family, and others have been “brutalized” by the POIQ. In my experience, prior requests for an investigation have fallen on deaf ears.

The POIQ is a danger – not an asset – to the citizens of this borough. I urge all residents to bring complaints such as these to the attention of the Borough Council and insist that the POIQ be placed on probation pending the outcome of the investigation. As for me, I can’t continue to place my family and friends in danger. As I speak, we are preparing to move out of Narberth. Thank you again for your time.