up.
(HE)
FIRST AT FIVE --- A TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS' EXCLUSIVE:
OUR UNDERCOVER
INVESTIGATION FOUND THEN-FALL
RIVER POLICE CHIEF ALBERT DUPERE
ROUTINELY CALLED IT QUITS EARLY
ON FRIDAYS...
AND MET UP WITH OTHER
OFFICERS AT A LOCAL PUB TO
DRINK.
(MM)
HE WOULD OFTEN THEN
DRIVE OFF IN HIS CITY-ISSUED
POLICE CAR.
"It doesn't look good and it's
not proper. You shouldn't have
even one drink and drive a city
vehicle. I admit that."
(MM)
THIS INVESTIGATION LED TO
CHANGES AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT
BEFORE IT AIRED
WITH CHIEF DUPERE STEPPING DOWN
AFTER WE INTERVIEWED HIM.
(HE)
WE WERE IN THE FINAL STAGES OF
THIS REPORT WHEN THE CORONAVIRUS
STRUCK
AND WE'RE ABLE TO BRING IT TO
YOU NOW.
HERE'S TARGET 12 INVESTIGATOR
TIM WHITE WITH A LOOK AT THOSE
FINDINGS --
WHICH ARE LEADING TO CHANGES IN
FALL RIVER.
"it doesn't look good. its not
proper. you shouldn't even have
one drink and drive a city
vehicle. i admit that."
WHILE CHIEF DUPERE APOLOGIZED
FOR DRINKING AND DRIVING IN A
CITY VEHICLE WHEN WE INTERVIEWED
HIM IN MARCH,
HE INSISTED HE WAS NOT ON THE
CLOCK WHEN AT THE PUB,
CLAIMING HE WAS THERE ON WHAT'S
KNOWN AS "LAST LUNCH."
IT'S 2:40 IN THE AFTERNOON ON
FRIDAY DECEMBER 6TH...
AND FALL RIVER POLICE CHIEF
ALBERT DUPERE IS FINISHING A
CIGARETTE BEFORE WALKING INTO A
LOCAL PUB.
AN EARLY END TO THE WORK WEEK...
AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE A COMMON
PRACTICE.
OVER TWO MONTHS,
TARGET 12 WENT UNDERCOVER AT THE
FALL RIVER BAR,
OBSERVING THE CITY'S TOP COP -
AND OTHERS FROM HIS
ADMINISTRATION - FOR A FRIDAY
MID-AFTERNOON ROUTINE.
THERE WAS DECEMBER 6TH,
DECEMBER 13TH AT 2-20 P.M.
JANUARY THIRD AT 2-43 P-M
JANUARY 10TH AT 2-44 P-M
JANUARY 17TH AT 2-30 P-M.
JANUARY 24TH AT 2-47 P-M.
A MEMBER OF THE TARGET 12 TEAM
WENT INSIDE THE PUB, UNDERCOVER.
ALONG WITH THE CHIEF,
WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THREE
OTHER SWORN MEMBERS OF THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ON THIS DAY IN UNDER TWO HOURS,
WE WATCHED THE CHIEF DRINK THREE
BEERS BEFORE WE LEFT THE BAR.
OCCASSIONALLY DUPERE WOULD THEN
GO NEXT DOOR TO A LOCAL CIGAR
SHOP...
THEN DEPART IN HIS
DEPARTMENT-OWNED, UNMARKED
POLICE S-U-V.
White: (1355) How is that
acceptable?
Chief: It's not and I realize
that now.
WE SHOWED CHIEF DUPERE OUR
UNDERCOVER VIDEO.
HE TELLS US THE CREW HAD BEEN
MEETING AT THE PUB ON
OCCASSIONAL FRIDAYS FOR OVER TWO
YEARS.
AND ADMITS HE SHOULDN'T HAVE
DRIVEN THE CITY VEHICLE AFTER
DRINKING.
White: (1517) Would you come
down hard on one of your staff
members for doing that
Chief: I would not have before
because we don't have a policy.
White: Oh come on, chief
Chief: No I wouldn't... I would
tell them not to do it again, I
guess. I guess at that point I
would have had the realization
that I've had now that we need
to tighten that up and we can't
it doesn't look good and its not
proper.
THE CHIEF'S CONTRACT STATES HIS
WORKDAY ENDS AT 4 P.M.
BUT DUPERE INSISTS HIS FRIDAY
AFTERNOON GATHERINGS WERE *NOT*
ON THE CLOCK...
SAYING HE AND OTHERS WOULD SLIDE
THEIR LUNCH TO THE END OF THE
DAY SO THEY COULD CHECK OUT
EARLY.
DUPERE SAYS WHILE RANK-AND-FILE
OFFICERS GET A HALF HOUR FOR
LUNCH,
THOSE IN THE ADMINISTRATION -
INCLUDING THOSE IN HIS FRIDAY
GATHERINGS - GET AN HOUR.
Chief: (0122) They put in extra
time throughout the week and we
kind of roll that in to their to
the lunch
BUT A TARGET 12 REQUEST TO CITY
HALL TO ACCOUNT FOR THE TIME OFF
CAME UP EMPTY.
THE MISSED LUNCHES AND COMP TIME
WAS NOT ACCOUNTED FOR, ACCORDING
TO A CHECK OF THE ELECTRONIC
TIMECARDS.
SINCE WE STARTED QUESTIONS, THAT
PRACTRICE HAS NOW CHANGED.
Chief: (0807) I'm now required
to document on a form what my
time is that I want to take off.
And to keep a record of my time,
I have book now that I write
down meetings I go to and things
like that.
White: (405) But that's the
chief right there. Having a
beer...
WE ALSO PLAYED OUR UNDERCOVER
VIDEO FOR MAYOR PAUL COOGAN.
White: (1250) Are you worried
about the message this might
send?
Mayor: I'm worried about the
message for every city employee.
We have to carry ourselves to a
higher standard.
DUPERE WAS PROMOTED TO CHIEF BY
THEN-MAYOR JASIEL CORREIA IN
2017.
CORREIA HAS SINCE STEPPED ASIDE
AFTER HE WAS INDICTED ON FEDERAL
CORRUPTION CHARGES.
COOGAN SAYS WHEN HE TOOK OFFICE
IN JANUARY,
HE DISCOVERED THE TIMECARDS FOR
POLICE ARE KEPT AT THE
DEPARTMENT RATHER THAN CITY
HALL...
HE'S LOOKING TO TIGHTEN UP ON
TIME-KEEPING PRACTICES.
(0837) All the police, the
officers, everybody up... that
should be kept with human
resources up here on the sixth
floor.
White: (2615) Do you understand
why this doesn't sit well with
some people?
Chief: I do yeahI do
White: And you would say to
them?
Chief: I would say they're
right. I should be held to a
higher standard. We learn from
our mistakes. The policy has
changed on the time it will all
be documented now. I'm not going
to sit here and say I'm not
going to take another afternoon
off I probably will but there
will be documentation
NOW.
AFTER WE MET WITH THE MAYOR IN
MARCH,
COOGAN INFORMED THE CHIEF HE
WOULD NOT BE RENEWING HIS
CONTRACT.
BUT THE CHIEF'S CONTRACT ALLOWS
DUPERE TO REMAIN ON THE FORCE AS
DEPUTY CHIEF.
LAST MONTH MAYOR COOGAN
APPOINTED A NEW POLICE CHIEF TO
RUN THE DEPARTMENT.
WITH THE TARGET 12 INVESTIGATORS
TIM WHITE EYEWITNESS NEWS
(HE)
OUR INVESTIGATION CONTINUES IN
ONE HOUR:
WE UNCOVER SOMEONE IN THE POLICE
CHIEF'S INNER CIRCLE CRASHED A
DEPARTMENT VEHICLE ON A FRIDAY
EVENING TWO YEARS AGO...
THE ACCIDENT HAS LED TO A
LAWSUIT BY SOMEONE WHO WAS
INJURED.
OUR TARGET 12 INVESTIGATION