Crime and Public Safety | Rookie Westchester cop says he was fired for…

News Crime and Public Safety

Rookie Westchester cop says he was fired for ticketing lawyer who had PBA
courtesy card

Officer Joseph Saetta is pictured when he was a cop in Pleasantville. (Courtesy of Joseph Saetta)

By Rocco Parascandola | rparascandola@nydailynews.com | New York Daily News

PUBLISHED: March 13, 2024 at 3:27 p.m. | UPDATED: March 13, 2024 at 5:15 p.m.

A Westchester County rookie cop says he was fired for writing a ticket to a lawyer who tried to get
out of it by giving him a police union courtesy card .

“It’skind of mind-blowing,” Joseph Saetta told the Daily News. “I want my job back. I want my name
cleared.

“I did nothing wrong.”

Saetta’s lawyer Peter Brill filed a federal civil rights lawsuit last Friday that seeks damages on the
former officer’s behalf. He also filed in state Supreme Court what under New York law is known as an
Article 78 proceeding, which asks that the Westchester County Public Safety Department reverse its
decision to dismiss Saetta.

“He basically was fired from his job for doing his job,” Brill said. “He apparently violated some
unwritten rule that you can’t give a ticket to someone who flashes one of these cards.”

Attorney Peter Brill (Courtesy of Peter Brill)

The allegation mirrors those of NYPD Officer Matthew Bianchi , who the Daily News reported last
year has alleged in a suit that he was punished by police brass for not always honoring Police
Benevolent Association cards given by officers to friends and relatives.

That case is pending.

Both Saetta filings name Acting Public Safety Commissioner Terrance Raynor, who is accused of firing
Saetta in January — just three months after he started, transferring from the Pleasantville Police
Department — and George Latimer, in his role as Westchester County executive.

The suit also names Corinne Pascariu-Costo, the lawyer who allegedly complained to Saetta’s
superiors after he issued her a summons on Dec. 3 for driving on the Saw Mill River Parkway with
expired temporary tags on her Jeep Cherokee.

Saetta said in an interview he has no problem with using his discretion — as officers are trained to do
— when deciding whether to give someone a ticket or let them off with a warning.

But Pascariu-Costo, he said, was “agitated” from the start.

“She was hostile as soon as approached,” said Saetta, 29. “She was unhappy that I pulled her over. And
she didn’t have any photo ID. She had car dealership documents in the glove compartment and she
told me verbally her name and date of birth.”

Joseph Saetta says he was fired as a Westchester cop for writing a ticket to a lawyer who tried to get out of it by giving him a police
union courtesy card.

Saetta said he didn’t recognize the courtesy card she had — and that the card didn’t list the name and
number of the officer who gave it to her, meaning he couldn’t determine where it came from.

“What if [she] bought it on eBay?” Brill added. PBA cards are sold on the site.

When Saetta returned to his patrol car, he told his partner that Pascariu-Costo claimed her license,
issued in Vermont, was in the trunk, but that he didn’t want her getting out of the car.

Joseph Saetta says he was fired as a Westchester cop for writing a ticket to a lawyer who tried to get out of it by giving him a police
union courtesy card.

Saetta ran a check on her name and ultimately issued her one ticket — for the expired tags.

Pascariu-Costo did not respond to a request for comment.

Joseph Saetta says he was fired as a Westchester cop for writing a ticket to a lawyer who tried to get
out of it by giving him a police union courtesy card.Catherine Cioffi, a spokeswoman for Latimer, said
in a statement that Saetta was “lawfully terminated for cause.”

“The Westchester County Department of Public Safety remains dedicated to the recruitment and
retention of officers who uphold the highest standards of professionalism and respect in their service
to the community,” she added.

A Public Safety Department spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

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2024 March 13

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