I have always respected the New York State Police.
I've always said that overall, they handle themselves more professionally than any other police agency I have ever known.
In fact, I have always gone out of my way to tell New York State troopers that.
In 2009, I covered the trial of former Rochester, NY Police officer and Greece, NY Police Sgt. Nick Joseph.
In 2008, Nick Joseph was off-duty, drinking and doing cocaine at Spenders bar on Lyell Ave. in Rochester, NY when he got behind the wheel of his brother David Joseph's (a Sgt. with the Rochester, NY Police department) Ford Fusion and while racing on interstate 390 North, doing in excess of 80 miles per hour, rear ended a stalled vehicle which was parked on the shoulder.
In that vehicle was Alexis Sharpe, a young pregnant mother.
The impact ruptured Sharpe's placenta and she had to undergo emergency surgery, forcing her to deliver her daughter, Azaria, 14 weeks prematurely.
Azaria spent 93 days in the hospital and suffers ongoing medical problems.
Joseph fled under the cover of darkness immediately after crashing into Sharpe's vehicle.
Joseph was convicted of aggravated vehicular assault, two counts of second-degree assault, leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, and first-degree perjury; as well as two misdemeanors: driving while ability impaired and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Nick Joseph was sentenced 3 to 7 years in New York State prison.
The New York State Police conducted the investigation which led to Nick Joseph's arrest, and conviction.
At the trail, I approached New York State Police senior investigator Jim Newell, and I thanked him.
You see, in 1997, after I video recorded Nick Joseph's brother, David Joseph, abusing a Jamaican motorist during a traffic stop, Nick Joseph retaliated against me by coming to my home, illegally entering without a warrant, beating me, and falsely arresting me, and telling my 68 year-old mom and my 71 year-old aunt, to "learn English."
After I won a lawsuit against the City of Rochester, and the Rochester Police department, despite Nick Joseph, having been found by a Federal jury to have violated my civil rights, he was hired by Greece, NY Police Chief Merritt Rahn.
But I never felt I got any real closure.
I mean, the fact that Joseph was still out there, doing to others what he did to me and my family, really disgusted me.
So I felt the need to thank investigator Newell, for in a sense giving me that sense of closure by bringing a dirty cop to justice.
I have always respected the New York State Police.
I've always said that overall, they handle themselves more professionally than any other police agency I have ever known.
In fact I have gone out of my way to always let NYS troopers I encounter, that I hold a certain respect for them.
Until now.
Sunday March 17, 2013.
As I was driving on East Avenue, I noticed several police cruisers, both RPD as well as New York State police coming in the opposite direction at a high rate of speed.
Naturally, I pulled over to the side of the road.
It was then that I realized, they were chasing an older model Chevy Tahoe.
Well aware that many high speed police chases end up in officers beating suspects, I turned around and video recorded the end of the chase.
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| New York State Trooper Joe Monds: "Hey buddy, put your iPad down and keep it moving!" |
I responded to Monds that I was with the media, but explained to him that even if I wasn't, I didn't have to stop recording,
Monds is then seen in the video approaching holding what may be pepper spray in his right hand, at which point, I again, tell him that I have a right to record.
I then ask Monds for his name several times, and he completely ignores me, finally replying "Im working right now sir."
Within minutes, the video was live on Youtube.
Nothing I love more than to expose a cop who in any way, shape or form attempts to intimidate ANYONE from their legal right to video record law enforcement officers.
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| Glen Sutton |
Sutton told me that it all started when a New York State trooper who was crossing Park Ave. yelled to him that he was speeding.
He then said that he wasn't speeding and that he continued driving down Park when he noticed the trooper was following him.
Sutton then told me he panicked because he wasn't supposed to be driving due to his license having recently been revoked.
That's when the chase started.
A chase which ended with Sutton being arrested and charged with several misdemeanors.
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| New York State Police Troop E Barracks 1155 Scottsville Rd. |
Once at the barracks, a New York State trooper told Sutton that he was on Youtube.
When Sutton asked the trooper what was he talking about, he replied, "Davy V. was recording us and you're all over Youtube."
Then Sutton told me that the trooper said, "One way or another, we're going to get that motherfucker and when we do we're going to get him good."
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