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1990 Complaint Support

The following was submitted to express my displeasure at being returned to uniform, subsequently the information formed my 1991 complaint (document : '91 complaint) much of the information in which is repeated here.  However, this is a more comprehensive account supported by further documents:

Sir,

I joined the Bermuda Police Narcotics Department on 8th November, 1988, having completed almost 3 years of uniform duty at Hamilton Police Station.

On the 11th November, 1988, I initiated and was involved in, the arrest of Vernon DILL ( for 3 ounces of cocaine and currently awaiting Supreme Court trial ), since them I have been active in the Department.

Since I started in the department I have had a high work rate, yet have NEVER received a complaint against me, certainly none of which I have been made aware and I have never been the victim of a disciplinary hearing. Still I am referred to as a loose cannon , in particular by Superintendent Birmingham, though Chief Inspector Ramsey makes use of the term too.

The definition of this label escapes me in the circumstances that it is applied. My being part of the office has been a continual struggle. I am well aware of the malicious comments made about me and my style of work, and of the demeaning slander relating to any success that I have.  Appendix 1 (A45's) gives details of two A45's attesting to such prejudice.

Appendix 2 (900319COP) gives  details of yet another A45 that I submitted which contains a more recent and comprehensive report of the circumstances that I have described.

I am insulted by the term ‘loose cannon’ and have become convinced that the fear is not that I shall cause embarrassment to the force through interaction with the public (the lack of complaints should give some indication of this ), but that my continual striving to pursue cases beyond the superficial view is not wanted, for whatever reason.

My current problem revolves, ostensibly, about an overtime form that I submitted for hours worked from 24th June, 1990 to 21st July, 1990, see Appendix 3.  In short, having claimed for 227 hours overtime the form reached Chief Inspector Ramsey who then made the various crossings out displayed and instructed me to make the appropriate alterations, in effect halving my claim.

I resubmitted the claim, in its original form, with an A45 attached, explaining my position, see Appendix 4.  Chief Inspector Ramsey then called me to his office and stated that the claim was unacceptable and that it was to be altered according to his directions. I then completed another A45 and submitted this, see Appendix 5.

I telephoned Superintendent Birmingham and was given permission to see him immediately. On seeing Superintendent Birmingham in his office I explained my position with regard to the overtime. During our meeting Chief Inspector Ramsey looked in on us and then waited outside.

Also discussed during the meeting was the Miranda enquiry and the fact that Chief Inspector Ramsey had no idea of the current position of the case because of the contempt shown him by Detective Inspector Jackson who ran the office and because I did not put anything confidential through Mr. Ramsey's office for fear that it would leak.

I made reference to my own word processor unit which I used in the office to ensure that the typist, Caroline, did not hand documents to Mr. Ramsey, and also mentioned Mr. Ramsey's habit of telephoning women from his office and playing various love songs over the line to them, generated by the large radio adjacent to his desk.

In short I outlined Mr. Ramsey's most prominent, and sad, attempts at mock eccentricities designed to hide his incompetence.

The meeting concluded with Superintendent Birmingham stating that I should inform Chief Inspector Ramsey of what was occurring in the office and that our conversation would go no further, and that although I could speak freely with him, I would be best advised to keep my own counsel on the matter.

Chief Inspector Ramsey once again called me to his office. On this occasion he informed me that my overtime claim was to be sent to Superintendent Birmingham, and that, as I refused to alter the document, he ( Chief Inspector Ramsey ) would make the necessary alterations before submitting the form. I asked to see the form prior to its being submitted but was denied access. I left the office.

After a few minutes of gathering documents relating to my justification of the overtime, I returned to the Chief Inspector's office. I again attempted to explain my position but was met with abuse to the extent that I informed the Chief inspector that I was not one of his prisoners who he could bully into compliance, and I asked him to refrain from using the word 'fuck' toward me. I was again informed that I would not see my overtime form prior to its submission.

After receiving a barrage of abuse I was ordered out of the office. A few days after this incident Mr. Jackson had a conversation with me regarding my completion of all existing files and not becoming involved in any further work.

I was also informed that I was not, as planned, to fly to New Jersey, to interview the informant (Informant2).

When I asked the reasoning behind this he remarked that it had something to do with a tape recording that I was supposed to have made, and went on to state that he considered such action a breach of confidence. I would not be drawn on the matter and on asking when the recording was supposed to have been made Mr. Jackson was unable, or unwilling, to provide any further details.

That Inspector Jackson had made arrangements with another Constable in the office to ensure that the hours deducted from his overtime sheet by Chief Inspector Ramsey be returned to the officer by way of ' time off ' was not discussed.

Over the following weeks various people in the office commented on an alleged tape recording, and I have always denied the allegation that I have made such a recording of any conversation with Mr. Ramsey.

To my knowledge no tape recording of any conversation between myself or Mr. Ramsey exists, unless he recorded it.

At no time have I been approached in an official capacity about the alleged incident nor, to my knowledge, has the matter been the subject of an investigation.

On 27th August, 1990, I attended the Commissioner's office in company with Detective Inspector Jackson. I was told to remain standing and was then informed that my contract was not to be renewed and that, as of the following day, I was transferred to uniform at Com. Ops. The Commissioner went on to explain that this was because of my ' continued bucking of authority ' and of the tape recording incident. I was then thanked for the ' excellent effort ' that I had put into my work over the past few months. My transfer to Com. Ops. was to ensure that I did not become involved in further Supreme Court cases that would involve me having to be called back.

To this date I do not know to which tape recording incident the Commissioner is referring nor am I aware of any official complaint about my bucking authority, though it would appear that these two factors are, in fact, a product of the same alleged incident.

I am aware of the F.S.I. which refers to adverse reports (see Appendix 6 - to be linked) and which has not been complied with in my case as I have not been made aware of any report that would result in the action taken against me. Furthermore, with regard to the Disciplinary Code, I am also conversant with 2(f) which deals with insubordination, I quote, " that is to say, if a Police officer improperly withholds any report or allegation against any Police officer ".

The allegation that I made a tape recording of Chief Inspector Ramsey has never been put to me, the Commissioner's mention of it was the first ' official ' acknowledgment of such an incident, and the last.

I am being ' punished ' for an allegation. I consider to be yet another example of the domineering, self serving self protecting system. Where is it written, or inferred, a conversation cannot be recorded ?

Chief Inspector Ramsey is well aware that I possess a tape recorder and that I have used it on numerous occasions, therefore such an allegation is a simple one to make. The recorder is referred to in my Delgardo statement and I have played tapes to Chief Inspector Ramsey on a number of occasions.

His reasons for pursuing such a course are, in my opinion, 3 fold:

Firstly he had made a mistake with regard to my overtime, he had attempted to back date the Commissioner's expenditure cut back report applying it to my overtime claim. The overtime was authorized in accordance with the directions in force at the time and Chief Inspector Ramsey was acting incorrectly. Rather than accept his error gracefully he choose to ensure that his authority was not questioned.

Secondly, my visit to Mr. Birmingham, and the matters discussed were, no doubt, detailed to Chief Inspector Ramsey.

Thirdly, my involvement in the current investigations was proving embarrassing to Chief Inspector Ramsey ( and possibly dangerous ), particularly with regard to the Miranda enquiry, about which I have the greatest knowledge, was working with little supervision, making good progress, and had attempted to set up an independent incident room. Mr. Ramsey had little or no knowledge of the Miranda enquiry progress, other than that it was being investigated vigorously and in depth.

The incident room set up was the start of my run ins with other officers, petty occurrences which were excuses for making trouble for me. It is my opinion that they are hardly worthy of mention but they no doubt form a part of the ' continued bucking of authority ' allegation, and are indicative of the trivia upon which the insecure minded ' senior ' officers thrive.

Set up when Inspector Adams ( Mr. Ramsey's puppeteer ) was on leave, I organized a new lock for a room in the main incident room and moved all of the Miranda files into the room to collate and analyze the information. I created a wall flow chart detailing the connections between the persons involved in the Miranda enquiry and those in the Howell enquiry. The flow chart was headed by the names of the primary persons involved in the U.S.

The room was soon broken into by D.C. Fryer, the first time, apparently, to obtain a set of keys locked inside, on the second, and only other known occasion, to show D.S. Gibbons just how easy it was to enter. D.C. Fryer also used the secretary on one occasion to create an excuse for him to view an informant who was being debriefed by narcotics at the incident room.

I do not believe either of these incidents to be malicious, purely the curiosity , and attention seeking, of a juvenile mind. That both matters were reported to Inspector Jackson but not pursued I interpreted as a lack of seriousness attached to the inquiry.

On the return of Inspector Adams I was ordered out of the incident room. Eventually, having appraised Chief Inspector Ramsey, Inspector Jackson and finally Superintendent Birmingham of the situation, the room was retained.

Then came the fiasco with the Narcotics van, here I acknowledged having an accident in the vehicle but, whereas Sergeant Ashurst asked me to meet him at the location of the accident to point out the exact location, on my arrival he was accompanied by Scenes of Crime personnel and an accident reconstruction officer.

Superintendent Birmingham passed comment that the way I was treated on this occasion was disgraceful.

Inspector Adams did attempt to have another shot at me in connection with Daniel Lattini’s attending the incident room: on this occasion Lattini began to vomit into a bin and a direction was given by Inspector Jackson, to D.S. Rollin, for the mess to be cleared up. The following day, somebody had informed Inspector Adams of this incident and, in company with D.C. Field, I was paraded before Inspector Adams and Chief Inspector Ramsey.

Inspector Adams did the talking, demanding to know who had been responsible for cleaning up the Lattini mess, which, apparently, had not been completed. I informed Inspector Adams that I would take responsibility, I declined to comment on who had been directed to clear up the mess. As a result Inspector Adams submitted a report suggesting that I be disciplined and returned to uniform. Once again I found myself before Superintendent Birmingham, on this occasion I was informed, in the presence of Chief Inspector Ramsey that Mr. Adams report was excessive, that it was as a result of the clashing of two strong wills and that I should be careful of future meetings with Inspector Adams.

In truth the clashes are as a result of Mr. Adam's insecurities and fears. Why I should affect him in this way I do not know, I have every respect for him professionally particularly as he is a C.I.D. officer (a position that I consider too diverse for me to cope with effectively ) but, since cross examining him at a disciplinary hearing, he takes very opportunity to demean me.

Perverse it may be, but I now dismiss his animosity as back handed flattery. That action be taken as a result of a culmination of the above sets of circumstances comes as no great surprise, with enough mud being thrown some was bound to stick. That action be taken without my side of the story having been put has left me with little choice but to direct my complaint outside of the force in order to obtain justice, possibly. Neither the action taken by the Commissioner, or the reasoning behind it, provides any logic.

I am now forced to leave the Island. I am expected to learn a radio dispatch system which I shall not use again, hardly practical or motivating. That the move was to prevent me from becoming involved in further Court cases achieves nothing new. I was dealing with intelligence relating to the MIRANDA enquiry, being a witness in the case already I would not add to my case load.

It seems reasonable to assume that my move was made for other reasons, the most obvious being spite, but the most damning being an inability to face reality.

That we, and I still consider myself part of the unit, have not moved with expediency is further damnation. The drug importers are able to utilize the advances in technology and methodology as development arises, for their aggressive assault upon our environment and it is met with passiveness. An unwillingness and inability to face actuality, for economic or logistic reasons, may satisfy the politicians within and without the Force but depriving the Narcotics department of personal capable of dealing with the complications of modern conspiracies furthers ineptitude which could be considered by some to assist the efforts of the felonious.

The alleged bucking of authority has little support either. Malice and ignorance induced paranoia, a fear that the lunatics will take over the asylum. I was of the impression that, working in the disciplined rank environment, the structure was set as a chain of command. My sergeants are the persons to whom I answer directly and to this date I have a good working relationship with them, so much so that I am confident that they had not been approached about my alleged authority resentment prior to my transfer, the reason being that they would have supported me. All information that I receive I put to paper and submit thorough my sergeants, furthermore they are kept abreast of my activities. That there must be another reason behind the conspiracy that has resulted in my move seems obvious.

Certainly the D.E.A. have come to that conclusion and the resulting rift may have caused long term damage.

An informant provided sufficient detail to enable us to seize 7 pounds of cannabis, detail was also provided about the Bermuda Police leak. This information was taped and relates directly to Chief Inspector Ramsey and his weakness, women.

Related to the MIRANDA enquiry, and separate from the previous informant, is the information currently being supplied by Angela TRAPASSO, currently in the Co - Ed. facility.

It may just be coincidental that when ex D.C. (officer2) was shown a tin containing cocaine   found by a friend, he was not permitted to keep observations upon it by Mr. Ramsey. That he did keep observations and the person who visited the tin was Dexter Dillas in company with suspect1 (and Attorney1) was never pursued.

Should there prove to be any substance in the information from the above sources then it will be quite obvious to all just why I was the subject of Chief Inspector Ramsey's smear campaign. For now though I have been convicted in my absence and sentenced. I understand that I have little hope of clearing my name, that the ' officer ' ranks have closed to my detriment.

All I did was work hard, something I have constantly been warned against, in the office, and whereas I would certainly have remained in the position that I enjoyed I have now to seek employment elsewhere. Unfortunately my view of the Bermuda Police Force is somewhat jaundiced and I anticipate that my reference will be tainted with spurious remarks born of hearsay and to which I have had no chance to offer a defence ( and am unlikely to have such an opportunity because I am not the subject of a discipline hearing).

I do have a number of Supreme Court cases outstanding

• 1. Vernon DILL
• 2. SM1
• 3. WE1
• 4. Dwight HATHERLEY
• 5. Antonio MIRANDA
• 6. David HOWELL
• 7. DELGARDO
• and possibly
• B. Daniel LATTINI
• 9. SM2
• 10. BU1

Quite obviously I would wish to pursue employment in a position that would not cause me loss of earnings or my employer to be-inconvenienced by my attending Court in Bermuda. It is my intention to apply to the Kent Police Force for a position in their Constabulary, my acceptance will be subject to a reference and I trust that malevolent comments spurred by personal vendettas will not interfere with my chances of returning to the Bermuda Courts to give evidence.

However, already the Bermuda Force has displayed great ability to cut its nose off to spite its face. It was accepted that I was best prepared to interview ALONGI in the U.S. but was stopped at the last minute, I have the necessary working knowledge to perform the ‘Q & A ' computer program inquiries necessary to pursue telephone connection analysis and prepare a detailed exhibit listing of the exhibits ( over 300 ) which are being added to regularly in the Miranda enquiry, furthermore, much of the information and the associations are purely in my memory.

I am not asking to return to the Narcotics office. I am disgusted with the way that I have been treated and have no wish to remain with the Bermuda Force and be the subject of further attacks at the whim of a senior officer, albeit that this was the intention of the conspirators forcing my transfer. Claustrophobia has also set in.

I do wish to bring to the attention of someone responsible, and in authority, the methods employed by the Bermuda Police Force Officers in the hope that the abuses are not allowed to run rampant. Unfortunately the Force is currently run on the basis of fear, be it with experienced Police Officers having careers at stake or younger officers unable to express themselves, unaware of assistance available to them, or simply bullied and intimidated by the dictatorial senior Officer figure whose opinion or ' facts ' will be given preference.

Being a U.K. officer I am subject to contract provisions and it is far easier to decline to renew this than to stand and face me with allegations that I am competent to defend myself against. I feel that I am being forced to leave to protect Mr. Ramsey's Officer status, that Mr. Ramsey has ensured my move by creating a situation designed to discredit me and that, in turn, he relied upon the Officer cadre to support him. The basis for the support being that they cannot be seen to be fallible for fear that others may question their competence in future.

Mr. Ramsey is, to my knowledge, now the subject of an investigation. I am not. Since my transfer to uniform, Com. Ops., I have spent most of my time working in the Narcotics department assisting with the Miranda file, in particular the exhibits.

The Hatherley case, in which I was involved and for which I prepared an exhibit list was today ( I am informed ) a farce at Court, the Magistrate sending the officers away to prepare their case.

More ridiculous still was an attempt by the Narcotics Department to call me out to duty (date incorrect on report - but subsequent to be advised I was no longer to work in Narcotics by the C.O.P.) at midnight to assist in an operation which would have involved me in yet another Supreme Court case for which I would have to return.

Lastly, my claim for the 227 hours overtime has been approved. Every hour, by the Commissioner.

In concluding, this report does not cover a fraction of the detailed knowledge that I have of the current investigations and those awaiting trial. It is not my intention to undermine any inquiries, or the Force, had this been the case then I am quite sure that a member of Vaucrossen's Chambers would have been very happy to hear my grievance and assist me.

That the C.O.P., on rumour and unsubstantiated information, chose to return me to uniform (in Operations - thereby keeping me off the streets) and advised he would not recommend my contract for renewal terminated my employment in Bermuda.  In support of this see: 951106DG

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