Correction officers nabbed in drug sting www.privateofficer.com
Correction officers nabbed in drug sting http://www.privateofficer.com
New York City NC April 28 2008
Kyle T. Greene
Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers
www.privateofficer.com
Seven current or former New York City correction officers were arrested on Thursday on charges of taking bribes and trying to smuggle illegal drugs to prisoners at Rikers Island, the authorities said.
The roundup was the city’s third crackdown in five years. Seven workers at city jails were arrested in 2003, and six were arrested in 2006.
Tips from other jail employees and from inmates led the authorities to focus on the latest suspects, the Department of Investigation said in a statement.
Undercover agents posing as friends or relatives of inmates paid bribes of $100 to $1,500 to six correction officers and gave them marijuana and fake cocaine or fake heroin to deliver. The seventh officer who was charged was assigned to screen mail for contraband. No inmates actually obtained drugs in the investigation, officials said.
Rose Gill Hearn, the Department of Investigation commissioner, said that the officers “are charged with violating their duty and jeopardizing the safety and security of the city’s jails.”
Martin F. Horn, the city’s correction commissioner, said, “If true, these charges are an insult to their brother and sister officers and a blemish on the well-earned reputation of the vast majority of our officers.”
The correction agency has imposed several measures to prevent illegal drugs from entering the jails, including random monthly testing of 5,000 of the system’s 14,000 inmates, the use of drug-sniffing dogs, and a device to detect trace amounts of drugs on visitors.
Three of the suspects had been fired for unrelated reasons, correction officials said. They were Daniel Marin, 27, of the Bronx; Anthony Narcisse, 24, of Manhattan; and Andrew Plaskett, 28, of Jamaica, Queens.
The other four suspects were suspended from their jobs upon their arrests. They were Daniel Bethel, 43, of Brooklyn; Joseph Constantino, 50, of Mineola, N.Y., the mailroom screener; William Delgado, 27, of the Bronx; and Tamar Peebles, 20, of Brooklyn.
Seven current or former New York City correction officers were arrested on Thursday on charges of taking bribes and trying to smuggle illegal drugs to prisoners at Rikers Island, the authorities said.
The roundup was the city’s third crackdown in five years. Seven workers at city jails were arrested in 2003, and six were arrested in 2006.
Tips from other jail employees and from inmates led the authorities to focus on the latest suspects, the Department of Investigation said in a statement.
Undercover agents posing as friends or relatives of inmates paid bribes of $100 to $1,500 to six correction officers and gave them marijuana and fake cocaine or fake heroin to deliver. The seventh officer who was charged was assigned to screen mail for contraband. No inmates actually obtained drugs in the investigation, officials said.
Rose Gill Hearn, the Department of Investigation commissioner, said that the officers “are charged with violating their duty and jeopardizing the safety and security of the city’s jails.”
Martin F. Horn, the city’s correction commissioner, said, “If true, these charges are an insult to their brother and sister officers and a blemish on the well-earned reputation of the vast majority of our officers.”
The correction agency has imposed several measures to prevent illegal drugs from entering the jails, including random monthly testing of 5,000 of the system’s 14,000 inmates, the use of drug-sniffing dogs, and a device to detect trace amounts of drugs on visitors.
Three of the suspects had been fired for unrelated reasons, correction officials said. They were Daniel Marin, 27, of the Bronx; Anthony Narcisse, 24, of Manhattan; and Andrew Plaskett, 28, of Jamaica, Queens.
The other four suspects were suspended from their jobs upon their arrests. They were Daniel Bethel, 43, of Brooklyn; Joseph Constantino, 50, of Mineola, N.Y., the mailroom screener; William Delgado, 27, of the Bronx; and Tamar Peebles, 20, of Brooklyn.
Email us/adminassist@privateofficer.com
Join us/myspace.com/privateofficernews
Be part of our social community! http://www.privateofficer.com
Categories: police
abc news, andrew plaskett, anthony narcisse, area news, casino security, casinos, cbs news, cnn, cops, crime news, crime news blogs, daniel marin, fox news, hotel security, joseph constantino, local news, loss prevention, Macy’s, mall security, metro news, news blogs, news report, nyc corrections, nyc corrections arrested, police, police news, regional news, resorts, retail security, rikers island, security news, security officer, shoplifting, tamar peebles, target, walmart, william delado
I don’t know what the situation is, but after working in corrections before I can bet it’s because you expect these officers to live day-in, day-out with the filthiest scum in our society…yet they get paid like janitors at a university. When they get the opportunity to make a little extra cash, a lot of them take it to feed their families with since they don’t get much from the city/county/state to do one of the toughest jobs in law enforcement. They are to the jail system what the dispatcher is to the police department…way overworked and severely underpaid.
I cant believe that someone would show pitty for these co’s who are soon to be convicts.
I served as a nyc correction officer for 11 years and in that time we who were not inmates with badges did our job to the best of our ability. It is hard enough to do the job with staff that has your back.But to worry about inmate lover drug dealing officers is beyond comprehension.
If you cannot do the job with pride and honor dont put on the shield……………..
I am not a one of the cities finest but i would like to air my view. I am not praising the actions of these officers, but let’s be realistic, they work tirelesly each day enduring landerings and from person they don’t know and has never done any harm to. they re underpaid and desrespected and might I dd have families to feed. I’m sure that most if not all of you “correction afficers” has done this at one point or the other you were just lucky not to be caught. While these officers ( mot of them single parents) have done it for a little extra cash so that their kids can eat, keep roof over their heads and provide clothing; what is the motive of the commisioner when he sends in persons under the guise that they are relitives of inmates to cause someones mother or father to loose their job.
This is totally out of character for Daniel Bethel. He is a man of integrity.
This case only proves that other people can do wrong repeatedly and not get caught. Let a Christian stumble one time and it is all over the news.
May God be gracious and grant Mr. Bethel mercy. I believe he was framed.