Holyoke Police Department professional Standards Division Friday, June 24", 2016 This statement is being recorded at the Holyoke Felice Department on Friday, June 24°, 2016, in the Chief‘ s conference room. Present while this statenent is being fecorded are Lieutenant Manuel Reyes, Sergeant Charles Moufett, and Attorney Michael Clancy, this statement is being taken from Sergeant Charles Monfett regarding @ complaint of untruthfulness lodged against Sergeant Charles Nonfett and is alleged to have occurred on May 26", 2016. This statement conmenced at 5:08 p.m. peewee vee eS TATEMENT ONS EE ERE EE 0. Denotes questions by Lieutenant Manuel Reyes 02. Pdenotes questions by Attorney Michael Clancy denotes answers by Sergeant Charles Monfett um, Sergeant Monfett, would you please state your full fame to inelude any middle initial, and spell your last name for the record? Charles P. Monfett, M-O-N-P-E-T-T. 0. Okay. Attorney Clancy, would you do the same? 02. Um, Michael Clancy, C~L-A-N-C-¥. 0. And, uh, my name is Lieutenant Manuel T. Reyes, R-E-Y- £8, This statement is, uh, commencing at 9:08. Um, okay. Um, this statement i being taken from Sergeant fonfett in relations 20 an incident which occurred on May 26%, 2016. Uh, this statement is commencing at 5:08. Okay. Um, before we get started, I, I'm gonna Tead out the interview ground rules. Sergeant Monfett, you're, you’re not in custody and pot under frrest,. You're free to leave, but may be subject to Gisciplinary action, up to and including termination. Initials: Page 1 of 19 Statement of Sergeant Charles MonfettIf you fail to answer questions that are narrowly and specifically defined regarding the performance of your duties, your per, your professional responsibilities, and your fitness to perform those duties during this proceeding. Um, your.you are required to answer all questions asked of you honestly and truthfully and to the best of your knowledge. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination. The intentional making of false statements or reports, and/or intentional omission of significant ox pertinent facts, is considered untruthfulness and will be treated as such. If at any time you believe that the answers you may give to a question may tend to incriminate you, you can invoke your rights against self-incrimination under Article 12 to.of the Massachusetts Bill of Rights, or under the 5° Amendment of the United States Constitution. This mast be done on a question-by-question basis. Tf present, your union representative or attorney 19 here to advise and assist you, and will not be allowed to ask questions of you, nor answer questions for you. Tf at any time you wish to consult your representative/attorney before answering a question, please ask to do so and a reasonable anount of time Will be allotted to consult with your union | Tepresentative. However, you may not unreasonably delay the interview process. Failure to answer questions directly or continued interruptions of the interview process will not be tolerated, and shall be grounds for discipline. At the conclusion of this interview process you or your representative will be allowed to make a statement, express concerns, or give summaries of your position on the subject matter Sergeant Monfett, how long have you been employed by the Holyoke Police Department? A. Uh, seven years. @. okay. And, uh, what is your current assignnent? A. Uh, sergeant in Records. Q. Is that a, uh, permanent assignment or temporary assignment? A. Un, believe it’s temporary. Initials: Page 2 of 19. Statement of Sergeant Charles Monfettokay. Us, what was, um, what was your assignment prior to, to being injured? bh, Field operations on the, uh, four to twelve shift. And as a sergeant? correct okay. And, and before that were you a patrolman? 1 was. and how long, how leng were you a patrolman? Uh, two years. Think maybe around there Two years? Yeah. And how long have you been @ sergeant? About three. And then reserve tine. Okay. s0, Like, two years reserve, two years.let's see Two, four.so, yeah. Yeah, so three sergeant. Like, two full-time and then two on reserve. Okay. Around there. I mean, I/m not. Younright. No. 100% on that. Ney yeah. Initials Page 3 of 19 Statement of Sergeant Charles Monfett1 just. nobody.. just ballparking it. okay. So about two years as a patrolman, about three years as a sergeant, and before that are two years as By as a reserve police officer? correct. okay. Um, in your own words, could you explain the time off fequest process as a patrolman? When you were, when you were.in other words, when you were a patrolman, how would you request for time off? You would talk to one of your supervisors and, uh, det the time off. Either submitting a slip or sometimes Just talking with them. If it was a last-minute thing a lot of times, um, I guess KATE MCCOY who does the payroll goes by the slip that gets submitted up to her. Un, so sometimes they would just mark it on the roster. okay. And.but what, what isthe, the normal way? Uhr now, let me, let me bring your attention to this Holyoke Police Department Time Off Request Form. ves. Un, have you ever requested time off by submitting one of these out? ves. Filling one of these? Um, and there is place.a place on here that epecifies when yon want the time off, Ghat kind of time you want, and then on the bottom it’s approved by a supervisor, correct? Uh, that is a way of doing it. Yes. okay. Um, now, as a patrolman, when you would ask, when.uh, you know, it's not that LONG AGO. INAUDIBLE AGO. Initials: Page 4 of 19 Statement of Sergeant Charles MonfettMim men. Would you say that was the norm more, more often than that, the, the way that you, uh, that you would ask for time, time off? Most-, mostly I did try to get it in writing, un, if possible, uh, to basically avoid situations such as this. Okay. So again, uh, the norm would be to get your time off request and approved prior to taking the time? More often than not, yeah. Now, as a supervisor..after being a patrolman as @ supervisor, what would the normal protocol for patrolman under you requesting time off be? Well, the preferred method is to £111 out a slip and submit it and send it up. 30 would you say that’s the normal protocol? That!s how it’s mainly done. okay. $0 that.you wouldn’t..[, T take that to be an affirmative. The normal protocol would be a patrolman would £111 one of these ott.. Well, T mean, its done sometimes verbally. Sometimes in weiting. More often it’s done in writing. Um, but, you know.. And under what circumstances are they done verbally? Usually if it’s, like, you know, last-minute thing or something like that. T’ve seen, you know, “Hey, 1 need to,,joa know, some hours of time owed,” and.or, “I’m taking tomorrow,” and they put it on the schedule and., okay. Initials: Page 5 of 19 Statement of Sergeant Charles Monfettasend it up to Kate, ‘Cause the main thing is that Kate gets your time owed or whatever you're taking so that it could be.. sure. properly accounted for. sure. un. But, but it’s always before so that they can fill one ‘of these out and it goes up to Kate, because this is how Kate keeps track of it? Uh, my understanding is that the roster that gets submitted is how she’s made aware of that. okay. And the roster’s normally done on the day of? uh, in other vords, as a supervisor. Yeah. uyou do the roster, you put your, you put your..the Time in, and it's Submitted. And that’s how Kate keeps track of it? Well, the roster gets done the day before for the following day, and if there's changes to it then they’ Ll be amended, uh, as appropriate. And that’s. In other words, if someone calls and, you know, needs sone kind of tine, then they’ll change the roster. It goes up. But that'd be a good example where there Moulda't be a time owed request, wh, for that particular instance. TE somebody calls..ckay. Stand by. Are you..T.okay. As a supervisor. ves. initials Page 6 of 19 Statement of Sergeant Charles Monfettshen you do your roster you put it in the Chief's Office. Tt doesn’t get sent to the, it doesn’t get Sent to the Chiefs office until the next day. So if somebody needs four hours of time oved that, that night, T can see last minute, But it’s gonna be changed on the roster before it goes to payroll, correct? Zr don’t underetand that. Say that again? As a supervisor you do your attendance. Everybody's in. Somebody four hours in says, “I need four hours off." They leave. The roster’s already done but you.it’s amended right then and there before it, it goes to the Chief!s office. Yeah. You'll take it out of the tray, amend it, put it back in. okay. Now, under what circumstances would it be done on the following day? As far as the written time off? Uh, no. Uh, as far as the amending and the..and, and the, um, and the roster? well, it wouldn't be done the following day. tt would be done either written or verbal, however it was, that day. And then it would go up. Unless there was some extenuating circumstance. Um, I don't know any offhand. Okay. Okay. Un, that’s, that's, that’s what T thought you meant. But going back to the question, um, barring that last-minute, that last-minute circumstance of emergencies or, or, you know, Somcbudy's sick, the normal way to' request for time off, would you agree, is with the Holyoke Police Department Time Off Request Form? Is preferred. Tt, it’s not the pref-, uh, T would say it’s, it’s the, it’s the normal method. As a matter of fact, qnitials Page 7 of 19 Statement of Sergeant Charles Monfettit’s, um, it’s what you have to do. Even when people come’ in and say, "Can I take ti~, time off,” isn’t it.. Well, customarily. Sometimes it’s not done. So that’s how I’ve been operating. Okay. X uwaut, if that’s aomcthing that needs to change going Forward, then that’s, uh, something that we need to address. okay. Um, so it’s your position that if T go into Katie’s.if, if I ask any of the supervisors the sane exact question, what the normal procedure is, some jould s-, would agree with you and, and they won't say that the normal way..that the normal procedure to request. for time off 1s to £111 out a Holyoke Police Department Time Of Request Form, get it approved beforehand, and, uh, before you take the, the time off? I can’t venture to guess what their answer will be. uh, I can only explain the process that is..occurs. So y-, 90 your point of view and your understanding of ie 1s you can take the time off, not get approval from anybody, and then submit a.and, and then sub-, submit a form, time off request afterwards? You're, you're Saying that’s, that’s allowed anywhere in this department? hat I'm saying is verbally that does occur. So, so if you get approval verbally. veah then you can cone in and submit a, a request afterwards? Depending on the circumstances. Okay. Initials: Page 8 of 19 Statement of Sergeant Charles MonfettA. T mean, if you have something. tor example, ina situation here, uh, T had em. PONG C how it twas gonmmbeevengongtoseor | C7 not. It could have went inthe aa have went into that and I could have naa to cancel that appointment, in which case I wouldn't have had to 2 time A. Pergonally, I don’t have a recollection of that so I’m going over her description of violation here. Andy Un, it appears to indicate, uh, that T did ask that. Um. don of asking that? 9. But you don’t have any recoll A. Not at this time, no. I have a note here though when this happened 30 that I, uh, could refresh my memory. And, uh, T indicate that I wanted to clarify, with, uh, Chief Neiewanger, uh, whether he wan that, uhy oe Q. Okay. Om, okay. $0 going back to my question, you said it indicates there but you have no recolLec that you asked Captain Duguay to postpone the 7 for two months? uv A. Personally, I don't remenber it. Um, you know, I mean, I have it written here in her description, And L oxay. have a note indicating, uh, you know, that I wanted to clarify with, wh, Chief Neiswanger. So 1 would imagine that must have occurred, I would assume. i, TT: 8:5, A Initials: page 9 of 19 Statement of Sergeant Charles Monfettiid you hi A. That was a concern of mine Q. Okay i wouldn't it stand a chance to reason that if | 2 ESE a TED a probably sexee for the postponement? , ge © A. Yes, ‘cause T did not know what the Sime Q. Uh, 80 based on your concern, Se But going back te the original question about sotlag for 2 two-month postponement, wouldn't it stand A. My concern was whether Z had to take it, uy Piagass conversations witha uh, Chief Neisvanger about 7 - / eee Chief who indicated that, you know, it didn't appear that that was the route it was headed, obviously, that can change and that’s well within his right. Un, but e aseumption I was under And because we had acting chiefs 1 just wanted to get Clarification, uh, from Chief Neiswanger becduse it's Initials: Page 10 of 19 Statement of Sergeant Charles Monfettsuch an important, uh, situation that’s occurring: Okay. Um, so, So a simple.what Tm trying to get is a Simple yes or no answer. Do you remeber asking for ‘two months postponement? eit, T mean, it’s 1 do not ‘remember, but T don’t dou! written right there But you don’t doubt it? ; fim hmm. NO. Okay. I mean, especially if I went and clarified it with the Chief, to see if that’s sonething he, uh, he wants to do. ALL right 1 certainly didn't, uh, refuse to go or anything of that nature. she. so, as you know, at, at that time, um, at time SHEif you did ask, she v=, she denied your request to postpone the, vh, EY anc ordered you to return to the.ordered you to go and also, uh, to return fo the police department immediately upon completion of yand report to Captain Moriarty. Um, do you remenber..do you recall that? , ub, my recollection of that conversation was that when was to return to the station I had to report to Captain Moriarty. It didn't seem like it was.t mean, to me it sounded Like I had to check in with him.» Um, She didn't even allude te why Tas meeting with hin. So I figured, you know, “Hey, when you get back here,” kind of thing. Uh, you know, “Check in with Captain Moriarty." Okay. And T did, uh, speak with Captain Moriarty, uh, at one Initial page 11 of 19. Statement of Sergeant Charles Monfett emppoint. Ihave the time here. At, uh, twelve, ub, 32:12, wh, that day. And I, uh, had explained to hin on the phone Mind, uh, he said that.uh, what did.ah, he said, “I don’t need your itinerary.” Um, to me this {indicated that, you know, again, it’s not imperative that T return to the station because, uh, he’s well within hia right te order me back to the station, and [’m talking to him on the phone and he didn't order me back to the station. So I'm operating under the assumption that it’s, you know, moze flexible than Gpviously it appears to be since we are sitting here Q. Sure. Uh, okay. Um, 80 obviously you didn't, you didn't report to the, to the police department as Grdered. Um, 50 what, what did you do? ‘Again, I believe that I was ordered to return, uh, to bee Captain Moriarty when I returned to the station, not necessarily at the completion of Q. Sure. in, you know, but because T-f¥gured it was return to the station, you know.and, you know, plus I'm on Light duty, I'm in training, T had talked to Captain. Moriarty. You know, 1 figure if he’s here ‘til three or four and, uh, you know, if he needed me he could Gall me, which he did. And he didn't, again, sayy NGet back to the station.” Instead he added to the flexibility by saying, you know, “I don't need your itinerary,” which, to me, said flexibility 0. Okay. Um, so you, go you didn’t report immediately pack to, to the department. Un, and you just Sndicated that you went instead to, to Sour, ei your, we A. Yeah . = initials: Page 12 of 19. Statement of Sergeant Charles Monfett(€ a Per occ aaa o. otay, che, charles 19 ox, AAT . aI 0. Went, YOU.ckay. Un, now.all fight. 80 that save" re Te ence co, this. Did you get permission to he thse cine off to TT un, £08 anyone? ce Yee. okay. And, and who was that? Who may that be? A. Uh, I spoke with, wh.briefly with Sergeant RIVARD, uhy the day prior, And he said it was fine. Obviously ;ne Undicates in his to/from, uh, that he doesn’t recall that ‘conversation, Um, at the time it was done, you know, it seened very unimportant and, uh, you knows not anything pressing. So it was kind of just a a Fass-over, uh, conversation that I could never have vaeescen, you know, all this occurring, uh, based on that Q. Okay, So it/s.all right. Um, I guess that’s that. Now, now moving on, I, I understand, I understand onze cleared for.to come back to full duty, uty by gern jathered that £rom, seeking with-between you and, and, why Captain Duguay Un, congratyiations on that, by the way. And also on the fact that you, you know, you're back to your Initials: Page 13 19. Statement of Sergeant Charles MonfettPage 14 ey = u veah. ves Yeah, No, I, wh, I’m excited to, uh, you know, really tein down’ and, uh. Good, good move, move forward with everything. So the injury was, th, quite the eye opener in my life, to say the least Well. Yeah. you know. Well. it gives you, uh, some insight. I know that’s kind DE getting off track there. So, sure. Initials: 19 Statement of Sergeant Charles Nonfetta. Page 15 of But, oh, well “put yes, it is good to, uh, to be able to come back and, uh re vas a silver Lining then, That was the silver In oe bocce TT, 270 thie inte fo caking you.ne back, I'm not sure Guactly tine. But, um, did you have a conversation C% CES mE Gn told hin that neither Captain cae imran chiet Neisvanger wanted you to perform bm, that who didn't want me to? Neither Captain Duguay or Chief Neiswanger wanted you to perfor th, my understanding was that, uh, from apeaking to Chiet’Nciswanger, you know, months ago, um, that I C~ would not ‘And and so you did have THAT conversation with@@™ ct oxay. Um, all right. So, so ju-, do you remember a orey sesation like that? You know, T mean, you're,” * You're saying it’s possible. You'sle being vague You' re. Weil, 1 mean, thio whole situation, T mean, there’ 8, you know, a lot of moving parte that have happened in the short span of time. Un Well So. initials: statement of Sergeant Charles MonfettA a ow it down to Z guessul, I guess if you can just nar: Go you tenenber having a conversation witht. GEENA 1) hich you suggested that you believed = (_/ 4 r Chief Nelswanger wante: Ca | uh, Chief Neiswanger. As Lf.0 don’t I definitely have mentior far as Captain Daguay not wanting it, the, reall that oxay. Um, and then at some point 1, I.you know, right ground this time,.same timeframe, ub, did you have 2 in’ which you te-, you conversation with told him that T had mentioned, un, that the day prior, 7 + hy T had met (ich capeatn Duguay who expramed rome that T was being, uh, transferred from, uh, Field Operations on the Zour to twelve, uh, to Evidence on days, uh, for 30 days. And then I’d go back to four to two months in Evidence. Um, and then the next day T had uum, wneeebnee rentionea that, un, arrengencne. okay. Um, okay. Um, now, when you, une when you told Se ———E— Uy Okay. Un, qnitials: _ 16 of 19 Statement of Sergeant Charles Monfett9 02 You know, my impression from speaking Jas that, because I was there, sure Now, you, you, uh, you Something that.it wasn’t that important correct Un, what, what vas, ub.tihere, where was, where Wa~y where is’ hat Tay Like Initials: Page 17 of 19 Statement of Sergeant Charles Monfett that tha that you talkthat oe m-, major. srt was minor. It was, in your own words, Y Cc V>. = ce A. Oh, really? v2. YEAH Q. Okay. AL tim. Q. and then, um, I, T guess my, my last, my last question fey_um, when you, when.you got out of Say C round 11:45, give or take? 7 ‘ MY A. Correct = io ae Q. Which, which is where? 1 A, In Holyoke. 0. Okay. Un, and the, anda was for twelve orclock? A. No, At was 12:30. tc 0. 12:30. Okay. So you were able to come back, come _back to Holyoke and take (MP back to Springfield? A. I believe it was 12:30. I could be, you know, unsure fon that. So. 0. Okay. Okay. Um, well, you know, I guess I have no farther questions for you. Is there anything you wish to add or take from this statement? Initials: Page 18 of 19 Statement of Sergeant Charles MonfettA. Uh, yeah. I'd, uh, certainly be, uh, getting, uh, time owed and other time approved in writing to avoid, uh, this type of situation, uh, from occurring in the future. Obviously, uh, you know, getting a, a write- up for untruthfulness and, uh, you know, a host of charges, 20 to. speak, has certainly beth, “uke suet, ot 1, aaa. CC non, thins. of, that A gs Eomard {can see that, un, in order to avoid this kind of thing, If Ihave {¢ in writing then Jt eas be Bolded. "30 dive and learn. Q. Okay. Um, is the statement true.ie this statement true and Correct to the best of your knowledge? AL Yes , Q. Okay. Um, Attorney Clancy, anything? 02. Uh, T have nothing. * Q. Okay. Well, if the statement is, uh, true and correct to the best of your knowledge, this statement is completed at 5:40, June 24%, 2016. Hee eee EH CONCLUDEDS HH NEES EES ‘This statement was completed at 5:40 p.m. on Friday, June 24a", 2016. Sergeant Charles P. Nonfett Page 19 of 19 Statement of Sergeant Charles Monfett