By Sarah M. Wojcik | The
Express-Times
A Bethlehem police officer
who’s been recommended for termination allegedly assaulted a Philadelphia cop
and threatened the owner of a Bethlehem bar while off duty and in drunken
stupors, according to a memo forwarded toBethlehem City Council.
The alleged incidents are in
addition to criminal charges that Officer Richard Hoffman crashed his car while
driving drunk in August, also while he was off duty.
They and other allegations of
misconduct, some which the department’s upper brass say occurred while Hoffman
was on duty, are outlined in an inter-departmental correspondence dated Dec.
20. The Express-Times obtained the correspondence today through a public
records request.
The Bethlehem Police Department
administration is requesting council move forward with a termination hearing
for Hoffman, a 10-year veteran of the force. The correspondence, authored by
city solicitor John Spirk Jr., presents the reasoning for the request.
Hoffman is facing DUI charges
for a 3 a.m. Aug. 8 rollover crash where he allegedly had a 0.16 blood-alcohol
content — twice the legal limit. According to the memo to council, Hoffman was
due in to work at 6:45 a.m. that day.
Hoffman could not be reached
for comment; his telephone number is disconnected.
Cop’s attorney says allegations
unfounded
The allegations in the memo
beyond the DUI crash are unfounded, according to Quint Tagilioli , the police
union attorney who will be representing Hoffman if a termination hearing is to
occur. Council has not yet publicly deliberated on whether to hold a
hearing.
"We're denying the
allegations set forth," Tagilioli said today. "Officer Hoffman will
have his opportunity to offer a defense if and when council decides to hold a
hearing."
Hoffman remains on paid
administrative leave and is seeking to be entered into Northampton County’s
first-time offender’s accelerated rehabilitative disposition program, or ARD,
on the DUI charge.
Wade Haubert, president of the
police union, expressed concern that Hoffman was being tried in the court of
public opinion before getting a chance to offer a defense.
"He's not getting a fair
shot," Haubert said.
The length of time it took for
the internal investigation to wrap up and its release just prior to the city’s
changing of administrations concerned Haubert.
"I do question the
timeliness of the entire thing," he said. "It's unusual. But it will
all be addressed and scrutinized during the hearing, including the
qualifications and biases of those individuals in charge of the
investigation."
Deputy police Chief Todd
Repsher declined to comment on the allegations against Hoffman.
"I do not believe that it
is appropriate for the administration to comment on the memo at this time out
of fairness to Officer Hoffman," he wrote in an email.
Memo: Punished with written
reprimand
The first record of Hoffman’s
alleged incidents began in May 2005, according to the memo. While drinking at a
Philadelphia bar, Hoffman argued with an on-duty city policeman, shoving and
accosting the officer, the memo says.
After he was handcuffed and
placed in a police cruiser, the memo says Hoffman began threatening the
officer, saying he'd "bring 20 guys down here" to get the on-duty
officer.
Philadelphia police used their
own discretion not to charge Hoffman, according to the memo. Instead, they
opted to let Bethlehem police handle the incident internally, the memo says. A
Bethlehem police lieutenant had to drive to Philadelphia at about midnight to
get Hoffman out of custody, according to the memo.
After the altercation, Hoffman
was apologetic, according to the memo. He said the evening of drinking was
"sort of a blur," the memo says.
Any repeat incident would mean
he’d lose his job, Hoffman’s lieutenant told the officer, according the memo.
Hoffman said he understood, the memo says.
Hoffman was issued a written
reprimand for the altercation, according to the document.
Lt. John Stanford, a
Philadelphia police spokesman, said he did not have specific information about
the incident detailed in the memo but insisted the city treats any suspect the
same.
"It doesn’t matter if
you’re a cop or not," Stanford said.
Upper brass: Hoffman went unpunished
Hoffman was suspended for 10
days during one of the on-duty incidents detailed in the memo, but despite it
being recommended, an April 2013 mishap went unpunished.
In April, the memo says,
Hoffman was caught sending inappropriate messages to a city dispatcher through
a police department program known as a Mobile Data Terminal. Hoffman was
unaware that his messages were being received by others in the department,
according to the memo.
The memo says Hoffman’s
comments included obscene language and derogatory remarks about fellow
employees, including a reference to a "booty call"
The memo says formal discipline
was recommended by Hoffman’s superiors for the behavior, but no punishment was
imposed.
Hoffman also was in charge of
prisoner Christian Neith in December 2010 and failed to properly search the
suspect, according to authorities. Neith was able to smuggle a 9mm handgun into
the Northampton County Prison as a result of the bungled search.
Other 2013 behavior cited in
report
Last year alone, prior to his
DUI arrest, Hoffman's alleged drinking outside of work was troubling to the
department. Incidents in March and July did not come to light, authorities say
in the memo, until after the August drunken driving wreck.
On March 16, Hoffman was
allegedly involved in a fight with a patron at Molly’s Irish Grille and Sports
Pub in Bethlehem. The memo says a bar bouncer had to separate the off-duty
police officer from the patron after Hoffman grabbed the man’s neck and throat.
When the owner of the restaurant stepped outside to convince Hoffman to settle
down, he allegedly threatened the man.
"I will cause you
problems," Hoffman allegedly told Molly's staff. "I'm a (expletive)
cop and I'll make your life hell."
About a month before the
suspected drunken driving wreck, Hoffman was allegedly so drunk during a July
13 bachelor party in Atlantic City that he could not recall the evening or the
fact that he and a fellow officer were kicked out of an establishment.
Hoffman slated to work morning
of crash
The memo also disclosed more
details of the night when Hoffman allegedly got behind the wheel of his SUV
while drunk. Hoffman had been drinking during a Godsmack concert and ended up
at the Fraternal Order of Police hall at 77 W. Broad St., the memo says.
Several off-duty officers and
dispatchers were at the hall drinking that night, the memo says, when Hoffman
and an officer began a friendly wrestling match. The horseplay allegedly turned
"ugly" and Hoffman and the other officer had to be pulled apart.
Another officer escorted
Hoffman outside and told him it'd be best if he didn’t go back in, the memo
says. That individual, not named in the memo, allegedly walked Hoffman to his
vehicle and spoke to him to make "sure he was good before driving,"
according to the document.
The memo says one of the
off-duty officers had a portable Breathalyzer with him and a group at the FOP
hall laughed as they checked their levels, but Hoffman did not use the device.
The 35-year-old said he headed
home after he realized he'd lost track of time and needed to get home, the memo
says. He was scheduled to report for roll call at 6:45 a.m. that morning.
At about 3 a.m., police say
Hoffman hit a parked vehicle at High and Broad streets, forcing two parked cars
under the vehicles in front of them and flipped his own SUV. Hoffman had to be
rescued from his vehicle by fire crews.
Bethlehem police cited several
departmental directives in concluding that a termination is warranted.
"Through his repeated
conduct Officer Hoffman has diminished the reputation of and confidence in the
Bethlehem Police Department and lowered the respect for police officers as a
whole," the memo reads.
