Posted on 03/02/2008 6:30:03 PM PST by elkfersupper
Jay Dow HOBOKEN, N.J. (CBS) ― The racy photos of cops cavorting with Hooters waitresses rocked the Hoboken Police Department. Now, officers face disciplinary charges after a scathing report on their conduct was released.
The photos embarrassed and brought unwanted attention to the Hoboken police.
Officers of the disbanded SWAT team and their chief are seen in the photos having a ball during Mardi Gras, and with Hooters waitresses during the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.
Retiring Hoboken patrolman John Camile told CBS 2 HD he's moving on with a bit of a heavy heart.
"You feel that weight that people are taking everything and putting down the police department," retiring Hoboken cop John Camile told CBS 2 HD.
But for several of his colleagues, who now face disciplinary charges after a specially commissioned report recommended the department take action, this ordeal is far from over.
"All are being held to account for their actions," Hoboken Mayor David Roberts said.
That could be bad news for five officers who are suing the department and SWAT leader, Lt. Angelo Andriani.
The officers claim Andriani intimidated them into attending the outings documented in the photos.
Andriani firmly denies the allegations.
But lawyers for both sides are accusing the city of conducting a flawed internal investigation.
"They have taken this action to shield Hoboken from any civil liability," attorney Louis Zayas said.
Andriani's attorney told CBS 2 HD the officers are being punished due to the mayor's embarrassment and the internal investigation is more of a sham.
"It's like Alice in Wonderland," Charles Sciarra said. "This is all political and not a legitimate investigation. The city is trying to undo the damage that was done when the mayor watched all this happen."
Hoboken Police Chief Carmen Labruno has been noticeably absent during the news conferences regarding this story. And Mayor Roberts won't say if it's because the chief is just shy of news cameras or if he's a focus of this investigation.
Hoboken officials say they'll release names next week.
Mayor Roberts says a state judicial official will oversee the upcoming hearings on the case.
“No, I think the majority of the people expect cops to act like grown men instead of street punks.”
‘Street punks’ seems a bit strong. They weren’t hurting anybody. ‘Frat boys’, perhaps.
scandalous!!!...not.
That’s because other police will back them up if they break into the wrong house. Nobody who has half a brain will put their own career on the line to defend SWAT members f#cking around at a Hooters.
“So its appropriate for police officers to let waitresses handle their automatic weapons? Seems irresponsible to me.”
If they are unloaded and just done for a pose, whats the big deal? I’ve seen similar poses of guys in Iraq who got visits from some nice-looking women who went to ‘lift spirits’ in Iraq. Any guy in uniform would love to tell a woman “Wanna handle my weapon?”
“Heck they should all be fired for wasting taxpayer money. They went to New Orleans to work, not flirt with the bimbos at hooters.”
So they work 24/7 with no break, or do they get some ‘guy time’ off like most humans do? If there was junket expense involved, maybe an issue for city of hoboken, but otherwise not. Unless the SWAT team contract forbids them to enjoy flirtations with waitresses and/or they doing this on duty time, this is just city hall posturing and preening.
You’re one of the hostages, but not before you’ve been put in a position of submission and uselessness by having your knee shot off.
Bleeding, in a daze ... maybe even crying a little ... don’t you just wish there was a sharpshooter out there ...capable and at the ready for a head shot to the mf that keeps yelling out the door and at you?
“Why don’t they shoot, instead of sending in pizza & sodas?’ you keep thinking in your mind ... but then, 17 hours of “standoff” later, you remember .. “Oh yeah ... it’s the SWAT-Team, not Marshall Dillon, out there.
There’s obviously something fishy going on here. They’re not telling us the whole story. Hooters DOESN”T SERVE DOUGHNUTS!
I didn't know they had recently changed the wedding vows.
I, _________, do take thee, _________, ... cleaving unto thee, and forsaking all others, until death or 30 days away from home alone, do us part.
Would any of you macho men posting on here be so happy, if it were their wives who were caught cavorting with male strippers while their hubbies were on duty away from town?
How is this morally different than Bill not keeping it zipped while on the public dime?
Now, if I were "forced" to attend an outing, I would just sit there and enjoy the meal. The issue is: these guys turned it into an embarrassment. Would there have been a big story if the headlines read "SWAT Team eats Hot Wings at Hooters, waitresses now wearing black shorts"?
Something about Hooter's girls handling grenade launchers and select-fire weapons appeals to me.
Where did you see a grenade launcher?
bfl
Its sad but America is no longer moral or Christian.
You're one of the hostages, but not before you've been put in a position of submission and uselessness by having your knee shot off.
Bleeding, in a daze ... maybe even crying a little ... don't you just wish there was a sharpshooter out there ...capable and at the ready for a head shot to the mf that keeps yelling out the door and at you?
The last time that happened to me, the SWAT Team was at Hooters.
“”Why don’t they shoot?’ you keep thinking in your mind ... but then you remember .. “Oh yeah ... the SWAT team was disbanded last month””
Or you could talk about the millions of dollars SWAT teams cost and the mistaken no knock raids.
Or you could talk about the little kids killed by SWAT, or about the massive overuse of force, or about military tactics and training.
In general SWAT teams use too much force individually and are used inappropriately to justify their existence. They recruit based on the bad boy attitude, automatic weapons, and John Wayne bravado. yes they have done some good but in the overall sense they’ve also done a lot more harm.
I’d rather carry my own firearm and take my chances rather than dial 911 and pray someone comes.
“Next to the crime that REALLY goes on in NJ , this is nothing..They were fools for letting the girls handle their firearms , that is plain STUPID.But NJ is THE most corrupt place on the planet , it’s a joke!’
I could care less if they went to Hooters. They acted unprofessionally with their firearms. If you and I did this we would be arrested for displaying the firearms in public. They do this and its just boys being buys eh? Jokes with firearms are not jokes, they are stupid and get people killed.
Not to mention they were there to work and not to cheat on their wives. If the cops in NJ are corrupt (agreed they are) then they should be fired anyway.
I agree ... and ... uhhh ... touche'.
“God forbid police officers act like normal human beings...”
Normal people go to hooters. Normal people do not go to hooters and let the waitresses handle their firearms.
There are some on this thread who will never figure that out. I am kind of glad idiots like this, who obviously have very little cognitive ability to understand what they were doing was at the very least stupid, may now not have jobs where they must make decisions that could affect peoples lives. My God, if they could not figure out how stupid it is to have Hooters Girls fool around with automatic weapons, on the dime of the public, then how can you trust them to make a coherent decision when they approach a dangerous situation...
Good riddance to these morons. There arrogance and stupidity is their own undoing. Holy crap, they take pictures of it too...What pathetic idiots.
“How is this morally different than Bill not keeping it zipped while on the public dime?”
Cause their cops and they are people too. Except when it comes to obeying the law and controlling their firearms.
“If they are unloaded and just done for a pose, whats the big deal?”
Because they were in a fricken restaurant and not in Iraq. If you or I did this they would call these guys to respond where we would be lucky not to be shot.
“So they work 24/7 with no break, or do they get some ‘guy time’ off like most humans do? “
They were in uniform and representing law enforcement. When I was in the military we were expected to have a higher standard of behavior when in uniform.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.