Surprise police officials have demoted a high-ranking officer to patrol after two investigations into harassment accusations.
Officials said Lt. Craig Scartozzi, who has served as the
department's spokesman and one of its youth outreach volunteers,
"engaged in conduct that was pervasive and unwelcome" against a
subordinate police officer, according to documents The Republic obtained under Arizona's public-records law. The specific incidents leading to the investigation were not provided.
The initial investigation focused on conduct by Scartozzi between
August and October last year and led to a second investigation into
other allegations of harassment.
A departmental disciplinary notice said between February and June of
2010, Scartozzi "used sexually based humor" and simulated sex acts,
including "with a female officer of lower rank, in front of subordinate
officers." The report did not make it clear if the woman was in the room
at the time of the conduct.
The demotion, which included a substantial pay cut, took effect Aug. 29.
Scartozzi was promoted to lieutenant in 2006. He served as a sergeant
in both the patrol and investigations divisions, was on the
department's tactical team and the state gang task force known as
GIITEM, for Gang and Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission.
Scartozzi, a former Marine who's been with the department since 1997,
has a long history of volunteerism and is known for his role in the
agency's youth outreach efforts. He was one of a handful of city
volunteers in 2010 who started organizing events for teens, including a
back-to-school mixer, chaperoned parties and a baseball clinic.
He has also volunteered on the department's honor guard, which serves
at officer funerals and special events such as parades and visits from
government dignitaries.
In 1998, he received a medal of merit from the Surprise Fire
Department for his efforts to save an infant who was accidentally
smothered in bed. The baby died later at a hospital.
Department spokesman, Sgt. Mark Ortega, said Scartozzi is known for
performing exceptionally as an officer and exceeding the expectations of
his superiors.
Scartozzi declined to comment on the investigation when contacted by The Republic on Friday but was optimistic about the future.
He expressed pride in his accomplishments as an officer and said he planned to put the past behind him and carry on in Surprise.
"I took an oath to protect those citizens that I serve and I'll continue to do that," he said.
Ortega said the department recently completed training officers on
its harassment policy, but the training was not in response to the
investigations.
Scartozzi was also handed a one-day suspension and letter of
reprimand in 1998 after officials said he falsified another officer's
report by entering a vulgar expression. The investigation determined
that Scartozzi, who was a police officer then, violated standards of
conduct and the department's policy on falsifying reports, documents
say. Scartozzi entered the remark after the report's author left his
desk to respond to an emergency, documents say.
He told investigators he meant the act as a joke and felt badly about
the incident. Another officer was also investigated for allegations he
participated by adding his own inappropriate statements.
The author of the report noticed the additions and deleted most of
them but missed Scartozzi's comment, the investigation showed. The
report was forwarded to the City Attorney's Office where the addition
was discovered.
Showing posts with label surprise police department. Show all posts
Showing posts with label surprise police department. Show all posts
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Surprise police sergeant who was under investigation resigns
A former assistant police chief in Surprise who was undergoing a department investigation abruptly resigned Monday.
Police Chief Mike Frazier would not say why Scott Connelly was being investigated.
Connelly, who was contacted by The Republic on Tuesday, would say only that his resignation was for "personal reasons." He declined to comment on the internal investigation.
"You'll need to check with them on it," he said. "I'm not sure what it is they're going to release."
Frazier said he was considering firing Connelly before he decided to resign.
"It was in my hands," he said. "That was an option on the table. Before we got to that point, he resigned."
Frazier would not say what time period the investigation covers.
He said he couldn't say when the case will be resolved, but he would release details at that time.
"I don't want to cross any lines and say things I shouldn't, but I think it's going to get hung up for a little while."
Connelly was demoted to sergeant in January at his request, according to department officials at the time.
The Republic requested Connelly's personnel records after he was demoted.
City Attorney Michael Bailey denied the request, saying Arizona law limits the public's access to official records "when the documents are made confidential by statute, involves the privacy interests of persons, and disclosure would be detrimental to the best interest of the state."
The Republic filed another request in August. The request is pending.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Surprise police fire officer on suspicion of DUI charge
Mike Phillips, a rookie police officer who dreamed of becoming a detective, was fired Monday following his April arrest on suspicion of aggravated DUI and endangerment, Surprise Police Department officials said.
Phillips, who lives in Waddell, was arrested April 12 by fellow officers after police said he bumped another vehicle at a low speed with his vehicle outside his child's school, police said. Police said the incident did not occur on school property.
Phillips did not return a request for comment.
Maricopa County Attorney's Office spokesman Jerry Cobb said prosecutors haven't charged Phillips and are seeking more information.
Cobb said it could take several months for prosecutors to decide.
"There's no real yardstick because each of these things is different," he said.
Police said Phillips was impaired by a "nervous system depressant" at the time of the incident. That could be any number of things, including cold medicine, authorities said.
Police said Phillips was at Paradise Education Centers, at 15533 W. Paradise Lane, to drop off his child. He was booked into the Fourth Avenue Jail and placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
Sgt. Mark Ortega, a department spokesman, said Phillips' supervisors took into account the severity of the charges and the fact that he was a probationary employee before they decided to fire him.
Phillips, a 39-year-old rookie on the job less than a year, was a longtime McDonald's franchise manager. He told The Republic in August of his dreams of becoming a detective.
Lt. Penny Riherd said at the time that Phillips was hired in part because he was new to law enforcement.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/surprise/articles/2011/05/12/20110512surprise-police-officer-fired-suspicion-dui.html
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Cash, jewelry, guns taken from Surprise PD evidence room
SURPRISE, Ariz. – Another police agency is investigating a theft within its own department.
As much as $33,000 is missing from the Surprise Police Department evidence room.
Among the items taken were jewelry, guns and an unknown amount of cash.
The evidence room is supposed to be off-limits for employees who do not have an access swipe card.
No suspects have been identified but the investigation is ongoing.
http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/Cash-jewerly-guns-taken-from-Surprise-PD-evidence-room-117701573.html
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Oversight board investigating former Surprise police officer
A former Surprise police officer accused of lying on a police report and to prosecutors may lose his certification to be a police officer.
The Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board is reviewing allegations that Steven R. Celsy, 24, lied about a February traffic stop of a suspected drunken driver. The board, which provides training and oversight to law-enforcement members, said in a case overview that Celsy:
- Lied in his police report.
- Lied to city prosecutor.
- Lied to department officials assigned to investigate the incident.
Celsy, who quit last year after department investigators made the accusations, could not be reached for comment. He had worked for the Surprise police for 2 1/2 years and resigned in October after a department Disciplinary Review Board recommended that he be fired.
A case overview provided by the state board said Celsy pulled over a suspected drunken driver late at night on Feb. 20 after a resident called 911. Celsy asked another officer to arrest the suspect, saying he was not confident doing it himself because did not have enough experience with DUI arrests, the documents said.
The arresting officer said he could smell alcohol coming from the vehicle, and the driver's eyes were bloodshot, according to a Surprise police report. The driver couldn't walk a straight line but refused other field sobriety tests. A blood-alcohol test was not taken, the report says.
Celsy later filed a supplemental police report saying he saw the suspect commit several traffic violations. His claims were contradicted by video footage and data from an automated tracking device in his patrol car, according to records.
A lawyer for the suspect, whose name was not mentioned in board documents, had requested the video footage and notified the city prosecutor of the inconsistency, the board documents said.
"At no time was Officer Celsy behind this car," Curt Milam, a board-compliance specialist, told board members Wednesday.
Celsy met with a city prosecutor in May who questioned him about the inconsistency between his police report and the video footage.
"Officer Celsy maintained that his report was accurate and attempted to explain that he stopped following the suspect vehicle in order to cut the driver off, anticipating that the driver would cut through a parking lot," the board documents said. "This action was determined to be implausible."
Department officials served Celsy in June with a notice of investigation. During an interview, they confronted Celsy with data from his patrol car's automated-tracking device as well the video footage.
"Investigators were hopeful that when confronted with the evidence, Officer Celsy would tell the truth. This did not occur," documents said.
Ian Murton, a Surprise Police Employees Association official assigned to offer advice and other assistance to Celsy, said the board can suspend, revoke or leave in place an officer's certification.
Murton said when an officer's certification is suspended, it's difficult to find work in law enforcement later.
"It's very competitive," he said. "I would say especially right now it would be very difficult to find a job."
http://www.azcentral.com/community/surprise/articles/2011/01/21/20110121surprise-board-investigating-former-surprise-police-officer.html
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