Cop is charged with fleeing after
he was pulled over in car
By Paul Nelson
Schenectady
An off-duty patrolman is on
unpaid leave and facing a misdemeanor charge after allegedly driving away from
a traffic stop as another officer approached his vehicle at 1:15 a.m. Friday in
the Bellevue neighborhood, according to the department.
Officer Aaron Zampella, a
second-generation cop with five years on the job, was pulled over for speeding
in a Nissan Maxima near 797 Broadway, police said. The car was spotted a short
time later and police pulled him over again, but he was not taken into custody.
Zampella surrendered later Friday
to police and was charged with one count of fleeing of a police officer in a
motor vehicle, a misdemeanor, and imprudent speed, a traffic violation.
The department said alcohol was
not involved and the Office of Professional Standards is conducting an internal
probe that could result in additional disciplinary action.
Zampella was released on an
appearance ticket and is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.
Zampella has over the past few
years primarily worked the patrol detail in the Bellevue area where he lives.
Councilman Vince Riggi, who also
lives in Bellevue, said he was stunned to learn about Zampellas' run-in with
the law.
"He's been the best zone
officer Bellevue has ever had and really cares about quality-of-life
issues," said Riggi. "He's conscientious, he keeps me abreast of all
the activities in the community and takes the job very seriously, and I hope
this works out for him so we can get him back out on the street."
In July 2011, when he was 22,
Zampella told the Times Union that joining the police force "had been a
dream for my entire life and something I've been striving for." Zampella ,
who is 6 feet 7 inches tall, said he was inspired to follow in the footsteps of
his father, Arthur Zampella, who retired in 2009 after more than three decades
with the department.
No comments:
Post a Comment