>>> WAFFLING AND PLEADING THE 5TH.
THOSE ARE SOME OF THE TAKE-AWAYS RECENTLY BROUGHT TO
BY REPORTER STEPHANIE BARRY, OF THE REPUBLICAN AND MASSLIVE.
BARRY REVIEWED TRANSCRIPTS OF DEPOSITIONS TIED TO AN ON-GOING
LEGAL BATTLE ABOUT ALLEGATIONS OF EXCESSIVE FORCE BY SOME
MEMBERS OF THE SPRINGFIELD POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND SHE SAT
DOWN WITH ME TO TALK ABOUT IT.
>> SO THE EVENTS OF THAT NIGHT, ON FEBRUARY 2016, SORT OF
LAUNCHED A SERIES OF CIVIL ACTIONS, INVESTIGATIONS, ALL OF
THOSE ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY ONGOING.
WE HAVE A FEDERAL CRIMINAL GRAND JURY, A CIVIL ACTION AGAINST THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT BY A JUVENILE.
WE HAVE A CIVIL ACTION IN STATE COURT BY ONE OF THE FORMER
DETECTIVES INVOLVED IN THIS WHOLE SAGA.
THERE'S A LOT OF MOVING PARTS.
>> Reporter: YOUR MOST RECENT REPORTING SORT OF DELVED INTO
THE CIVIL ACTION FROM THE POLICE OFFICER.
STEVEN INALT.
AM I SAYING THAT RIGHT?
>> YES.
>> Reporter: I WANT TO GO THROUGH, AS YOU DID IN YOUR
REPORTING FOR MASSLIVE AND THE REPUBLICAN, SOME OF THE DETAILS
THAT CAME OUT IN DEPOSITIONS RELATED TO HIS CIVIL CASE.
SO WE'LL START WITH OFFICER GREG BIGDA, ONE OF MANY OFFICERS
BROUGHT IN AND QUESTIONED ACCORDING TO YOUR REPORTING IN
THOSE TRANSCRIPTS AND LARGELY HE PLEADED THE FIFTH.
BUT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS THAT HE WAS ASKED.
ARE THERE ANY THAT STAND OUT TO YOU AS ONE THAT WAS
PARTICULARLY INTERESTING.
>> HE HAS A ENOUGH OF PROBLEMS, MORE SO THAN THE OTHER OFFICERS
INVOLVED.
HE IS UNDER SCRUTINY OF THE ALLEGED KICK OF THE JUVENILE,
AND THEN HIS SECOND PROBLEM WAS THAT HE WAS CAUGHT ON VIDEO
BERATING AND THREATENING THESE JUVENILES AT THE PALMER POLICE
DEPARTMENT WHERE LOTS OF OFFICERS ARGUE THEY NEVER SHOULD
HAVE BEEN IN THE FIRST PLACE.
SO HE'S GOT MULTIPLE PROBLEMS, OFFICER VIGNAL ACCUSED HIM OF
DRINK ON THE JOB AND SORT OF TRUMPING UP SEARCH WARRANTS.
SO I WOULD SAY HIS EXPOSURE IS THE GREATEST.
AND SO HE REFUSED TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NIGHT IN
QUESTION, AND HIS GENERAL PRACTICES AS A FORMER
DETECTIVE.
SO -- >> Reporter: HE WAS SUSPEND AND
PUT ON LEAVE AND TAKEN OUT OF THE NARCOTICS UNIT AS A RESULT
OF THIS, ALTHOUGH HE'S A MEMBER OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
YOU TALKED ABOUT THE THREE JUVENILES, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE
SPECIFICS OF THAT NIGHT.
OUTSIDE OF THE PRIMO'S PIZZA, A POLICE CAR WAS LEFT RUNNING
OUTSIDE.
AND THEN THESE JUVENILES GOT INTO THE CAR.
WHAT HAPPENED FROM THERE?
>> SO THESE TEENS, ALTHOUGH THE CHARGES AGAINST THE TEENS HAVE
BEEN DROPPED, I SHOULD NOTE, BUT BY ALL ACCOUNTS, THESE TEENS
JUMPED INTO A RUNNING CAR, AND IT WAS NOT MARKED, SO THEY
PRESUMABLY THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING ON A FUN JOY RIDE IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
IT TURNED OUT IT WAS THE UNDERCOVER POLICE DETECTIVE'S
CAR.
SO THEY WENT SPEEDING THROUGH PALMER, AND STARTED GETTING
TRAILED BY OTHER COPS.
>> Reporter: FROM SPRINGFIELD, TOUCHING ON THESE OTHER
MUNICIPALITIES?
>> NO.
INVOLVED IN THE PURSUIT, IT BEGAN WILBURHAM AND CONTINUED
INTO PALMER, THE CAR WAS STOPPED IN PALMER.
THE SPRINGFIELD DETECTIVES THEN LEFT AFTER THEIR SHIFT TO ARRIVE
ON SCENE TO INEX-APPLICATIONABLY PARTS IN IT PATE IN THE ARREST.
>> Reporter: IN THE ARREST OF THESE THREE MENS, IT WAS PART OF
THIS -- THAT WAS KIND OF QUESTIONED CAME UP IN THE
TRANSCRIPT, RETIRED DEPUTY CHIEF MARK ANTHONY, HE SORT OF SHED
SOME LIGHT IN YOUR RECENT REPORTING ON WHY IT TOOK SO LONG
FOR THOSE INTERROGATION VIDEOS TO SURFACE, RIGHT?
>> YEAH.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF FINGER POINTING AMONG THE VARIOUS
AGENCIES AND EVEN WITHIN THE DEPARTMENTS.
BUT RETIRED DEPUTY ANTHONY IN HIS MIND BELIEVES.
THE FOCUS WAS ON THE ALLEGED KICK OF THE JUVENILE.
MEANWHILE, YOU HAD THESE PALMER POLICE VIDEOS KIND OF FLOATING
OUT THERE THAT PRESENTED A WHOLE ENTIRELY DIFFERENT DOCUMENTED
VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
SO I THINK -- >> Reporter: FOR WHICH POLICE
DEPARTMENT?
>> SPRINGFIELD.
ARGUABLY, POSSIBLY PALMER TOO, BUT PRIMARILY SPRINGFIELD.
SO THEY'RE FOCUSED ON DID ANYONE KICK A CHILD.
BUT MEANWHILE, LIKE A RED HERRING, ARE THESE VIDEOS OF
OFFICER BIGDA INTERROGATING THESE TEENS AND COMPLETELY
INAPPROPRIATE WAY.
BUT NOBODY RAISED A FLAG UNTIL THEY STARTED CIRCULATING AROUND
COURT.
THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY HAD TO TELL COMMISSIONER BARBERI HAD A
COMMUNITY PICNIC, YOU MAY HAVE SOME PROBLEMS HERE.
>> Reporter: IS THAT PIECE, IN AND OF ITSELF, IS THAT STANDARD
OPERATING PROCEDURE, THAT YOU HAVE THE D.A. GO TO THE POLICE
CHIEF AND SAY, HEY, LOOK, THESE ARE OUT THERE?
>> NO.
I'M SURE IT WAS QUITE EMBARRASSING FOR THE
COMMISSIONER.
SO THEN IT APPEARS FROM WHERE I SIT, THERE WAS KIND OF A MAD
SCRAMBLE TO FIGURE OUT THESE MONTHS OLD.
HOW HAS THIS HAPPENED?
AND.
>> Reporter: NO ONE SAW THEM OR TALKED ABOUT THEM?
>> CORRECT.
THEY WERE SITTING THERE FOR MONTHS, AND IN THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT IN A FILE, THAT LOTS OF SUPERVISORS WERE REVIEWING
AND SIGNING OFF ON, BUT SOMEHOW UNTIL A FORMER SERGEANT TOLD HIS
LIEUTENANT, HEY, YOU KNOW, BY THE WAY, THIS FOOTAGE IS KIND OF
TROUBLING.
ACCORDING TO THIS FORMER SERGEANT, HIS LIEUTENANT NEVER
WENT UP THE CHAIN WHY SO I JUST SAT THERE DORMANTLY AND BECAME A
HUGE EMBARRASSMENT FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
>> Reporter: THERE'S SOME QUESTION, AS YOU POINT OUT IN
THE REPORTING, THERE WAS SOME VERBAL MENTION OF IT MAYBE, BUT
NEVER GOT PHYSICALLY DOCUMENTED IN THE WRITTEN REPORT?
>> CORRECT.
THAT PROMPTED SOME CHANGE IN POLICY, IT WAS QUITE A MESS.
>> Reporter: FOR THE DOJ'S PART IN THIS, THEY SAY THE
INVESTIGATION'S ONGOING, THEY WON'T COMMENT, BUT THEN WHAT DID
YOU LEARN MORE RECENTLY FROM COMMENTS THAT MAYOR SARNO MADE
ABOUT THIS INQUIRY?
>> SO THE LAST PUBLIC COMMENT THE MAYOR MADE, IT WAS REGARDING
A MEETING WITH SOME CITY OFFICIALS, AND THE U.S. ATTORNEY
FOR MASSACHUSETTS.
I FEEL LIKE THE MAYOR TRIED TO PUT SORT OF A POSITIVE SPIN ON
IT.
SAYING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE COOPERATING FULLY, THERE'S GOING
TO BE THIS INQUEST, BUT THEN THE NEXT WEEK, ALL OF THE TOP
RANKING OFFICIALS IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BEGAN GETTING GRAND
JURY SUBPOENAS, INCLUDING THE COMMISSIONER.
AND I THINK THEY'RE A LITTLE TAKEN ABACK BY THAT, BUT I'M NOT
PERSONALLY QUITE SURE WHY THEY WERE SURPRISED BY THAT.
AND SINCE THEN, THERE'S BEEN NO PUBLIC MENTION OF IT.
>> Reporter: OBVIOUSLY IT'S A VERY CONVOLUTED, CONFUSING
CASE.
A LOT OFTUR MILL, I IMAGINE, WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.
HAVE ANY OF YOUR SOURCES TALKED TO YOU ABOUT WHAT IT'S LIKE TO
WORK INSIDE THE SPRINGFIELD POLICE DEPARTMENT RIGHT NOW, ARE
PEOPLE WATCHING THEIR BACKS OR FINGER POINTING?
>> ALL OF THE ABOVE.
I THINK MORALE IS FAIRLY LOW.
I THINK IT HAS PEAKS AND VALLEYS, DEPENDING ON WHAT'S
KIND OF CURRENTLY HAPPENING WEEK TO WEEK, BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN
EASY FOR POLICE OFFICERS WHO LARGELY WORK REALLY HARD IN A
CITY THAT'S NOT EASY TO COVER.
>> Reporter: YEAH.
SO NOW THERE'S ALSO THE INTERNAL INVESTIGATION BY THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT ITSELF.
DO WE KNOW WHERE THAT STANDS AT THIS POINT?
>> YEAH.
THAT'S LARGELY RESOLVED.
SO THAT'S LARGELY RESOLVED, I WOULD SAY, THE BOOKS ARE KIND OF
CLOSED ON THAT.
I THINK ALL THE DISCIPLINE RELATED TO THAT NEAT HAS BEEN
METED OUT.
OTHERS RETIRED.
SO AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, THAT'S PUT TO BED.
>> Reporter: JUST ONE PIECE OF THIS PUZZLE YOU CAN PUT A PERIOD
ON AT THIS POINT?
>> I THINK SO.
>> Reporter: ANY SENSE OF HOW LONG THE TIMETABLE WILL BE FOR
THE REST OF THESE PIECES?
>> NOT AT ALL.