By Davy V.
Chief Sheppard;
As a young boy growing up in Rochester, NY I attended Jonathan Child # 21 School on Colvin St. on Rochester's westside.
The building, which has since been turned into a senior living community, holds alot of special memories for me as a child.
One of those memories, is of "Officer Friendly" visiting my 3rd grade class.
I remember it like it was yesterday. "Officer Friendly" was a bit of a burly man, with a thick mustache and he wore a hat, with a shiny badge emblem on it.
He came to our class one day dressed in his full Rochester, NY Police uniform. Me and my friends were in awe and very impressed as we looked up to this man, who told each and every one of us to behave, respect our parents and adults, and to always tell the truth.
Fast forward some 30 years, and my own children, who are more or less the same age that I was when "Officer Friendly" came to my 3rd grade class, are now seeing that police officers, who are supposed to protect them against the "bad guys", are themselves bad, abuse, shoot and kill innocent people, and lie.
Chief Sheppard, take for example your two officers that you have working on your police force, officers Rob Osipovitch and Ryan Hartley.
These two Rochester Police officers took and oath, to not only serve and protect, but to uphold the law.
Part of that oath includes to not lie. To not in any way shape or form violate their sworn oath or the Constitution of the United States of America.
But Chief, officers Rob Osipovitch and Ryan Hartley did indeed lie. And, in doing so, they violated their sworn oath that they took when they joined your force and when they first became Rochester Police officers.
On a July night in 2011, Rochester, NY Police officers Rob Osipovitch and Ryan Hartley were patrolling in the the area of Conkey Avenue and Avenue D when they saw a vehicle being driven by Mr. Jeramie Barideaux.
Chief Sheppard, your officers wanted to pull Mr. Barideaux over, perhaps because of a ceratin way Mr. Barideaux looked. Perhaps because of how his vehicle looked.
But Chief Sheppard, your officers thought about something.
They realized they had to have a reason to pull Mr. Barideaux over, so they conspired to make up a lie. They decided to lie about Mr. Barideaux coming to a rolling stop at the intersection of Conkey and Ave. D.
And Chief Sheppard, in doing so they violated their oath to uphold the law as Rochester Police officers.
At that very moment Chief Sheppard, your officers became criminals themselves.
After your officers lied, and illegally stopped and searched Mr. Barideaux's vehicle, they claimed they found drugs and a weapon.
I don't believe them. Why should anyone believe them, after they lied about the initial stop?
What's to say they didn't use some "throw down" dope or a weapon, as is common practice with police setting innocent people up.
Because after all Chief, your officers are liars.
And as a result of their lies, an innocent man spent 4 months in jail and away from his family.
To Rochester Police officers Rob Osipovitch and Ryan Hartley, it seemed like the perfect plan. Lie about a guy not coming to a complete stop, in order to have a reason to pull him over.
But there was one thing that your officers did not think about Chief Sheppard. They didn't realize that high above that intersection, there was a video camera which recorded the whole incident, including your officer's lies. You see, video doesn't lie, and it shows Mr. Barideaux coming to a full and complete stop.
And it proved your officers are liars.
In fact the video evidence was so clear that Monroe County Court Judge Daniel Doyle dismissed all the charges against Mr. Barideaux, and in doing so, Judge Doyle said "it was an unreasonable stop... based on the review of the video, there's no ambiguity at all that a car being operated by Jeramie Barideaux did come to a complete stop before the police stopped the vehicle."
But, perhaps one of the most disturbing things about this incident Chief Sheppard is not only that your officers lied in order to effect what was an illegal stop and search of Mr. Barideaux's vehicle, but that your officers continued to lie, and ultimately committed perjury.
You see, Rochester, NY Police officers Rob Osipovitch and Ryan Hartley testified in front of a Monroe County Grand Jury, raising their right hands and swearing to "tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help them God."
Then they looked each and every one of those Grand Jury members in their eyes, and they lied to to them.
And that Chief Sheppard, is perjury.
Chief Sheppard, as I remember "Officer Friendly" visiting my 3rd grade class many years ago, and him telling us to always tell the truth, I'm not sure what I find more disgusting.
That your police officers, Rob Osipovitch and Ryan Hartley lied in order to conduct an illegal stop and search which led to an innocent man being incarcerated for 4 months, then they committed perjury by lying to a Grand Jury, or that you sir, as Police Chief, have done nothing about it.
