Internal affairs questions chief


Police Chief John Tedesco was questioned by the police department's internal affairs unit Monday afternoon, city officials confirmed Tuesday.
Tedesco was interviewed about a letter he sent to a person who filed a complaint regarding alleged police brutality. Tedesco said in the letter that the complaint was upheld by the internal affairs investigation.
Mayor Lou Rosamilia said Tedesco faced internal affairs after he had postponed the meeting several times.


"I will have the findings after it's over," Rosamilia said.
Tedesco is the city's first police chief to be the target of an internal affairs probe.
Deputy Chief Richard McAvoy and Capt. Terrance Buchanan of internal affairs met with Tedesco for about 30 minutes in an office that was cordoned off.
Tedesco had said the media were invited to attend his interview, but no reporters were present.
The chief faces the investigation after a complaint was filed saying that the letter he sent was written before the officer under investigation had exhausted the appeals process.
Tedesco's questioning came as city officials learned that the chief asked the City Council to investigate the police department's operations and internal affairs unit under Police Commissioner Anthony Magnetto.
Tedesco also has called for the FBI to investigate the department's internal affairs cases.
The City Council and members of Rosamilia's administration received an eight-page letter Friday night from Tedesco's attorney outlining the need for the inquiry.
"Recent events have again made clear the need for a properly trained and autonomous ISB (Inspectional Services Bureau) officer who remains free from the influence of any outside sources, especially the PBA," wrote Brian Premo, Tedesco's lawyer.
Premo's letter alleged that Buchanan is influenced by the Troy Police Benevolent Association due to having received off-hours employment through the union.
Rosamilia said the latest letter from Tedesco, which he reviewed Monday, is "the same thing." He called the chief's actions a distraction to the police department.
Premo's letter was widely circulated throughout the police department Monday.
Since Magnetto was appointed earlier this year, Tedesco has been pushed aside in managing the police department. Magnetto has moved ahead with implementing programs, such as school resource officers, that Rosamilia promised he would deliver if elected mayor.
Premo's letter attacks Magnetto's appointment as illegal and highlights the influence that the Troy Police Benevolent Association has in the department.
"Chief Tedesco firmly believes that a zero-tolerance policy against egregious misconduct must be strictly enforced to prevent future incidents of brutality and that his other 'best practices' and policies must be reinstated for effective and efficient management of the Police Bureau," Premo wrote.