HARTFORD POLICE UNIONMEMORANDUM
TO: C
aptain James Bernier Commander, North East Division
FROM:
Sgt. Rich HoltonHartford Police Union President
DATE:
May 5, 2011
SUBJECT:
Investigation into Comments made in reference to Capt. Bernier in relation to the Lt. Dailey investigationOn this date, I was contacted by Officer Pepler in regards to a conversation that referred indirectly to Lt. Dailey’s hearing scheduled on 5/5/11. This conversation that Officer Pepler had took place while he was off duty and amongst individuals who he believed to be friends. Officer Pepler stated that Lt. Manson contacted him and he was ordered to report to your office. It is obvious that you chose to disregard Officer Pepler’s contractual rights. You failed to advise him of rights afforded to him under the well known Weingarten decision. He was summoned into your office while you and Lt. Manson were present. He was not informed of his right to have a union representative present. Officer Pepler was placed in an untenable position of responding to your “informal” questions. Certainly, your decision to essentially order the Officer to reduce his version of events to writing seems extraordinarily close to the issuance of an unlawful order and certainly is profoundly unprofessional. Since your meeting and the contents of the conversation which you were trying to ascertain were in regards to the Lt. Dailey hearing which you were the Charging Officer. The Hartford Police Union finds this a complete conflict of interest and you should disqualify yourself from this “investigation”. If you feel there is any merit to your inquiry you should ask that this incident be assigned to another individual to investigate. Once this inquiry is reassigned Officer Pepler will cooperate to the best of his ability. Cc: Daryl K. Roberts, Chief of Police Brian Heavren, Assistant Chief of Patrol Capt. William Long, Headquarters Commander (Hearing Chair) Lt. Marco Tedeschi, Department Advocate Jeff Ment, Attorney Dan Livingston, Union Counsel