Officer who discovered heroin at Fallsburg school reassigned By Leonard Sparks Times Herald-Record Published: 2:00 AM - 03/28/14 MONTICELLO — Fallsburgs police department is reassigning the school resource officer whose discovery of heroin and paraphernalia in a mens bathroom at Benjamin Cosor Elementary triggered an investigation of six teachers and an aide. Fallsburg Superintendent Ivan Katz announced the decision on the districts Facebook page on Wednesday. Fallsburg police Chief Simmie Williams confirmed it Thursday morning, saying Martin Gonzalez would be replaced by a new SRO. The announcement came two days after dozens of teachers and staff converged on a Town Board meeting to criticize the Fallsburg Police Department probe into who left heroin in the bathroom in December and again in February. During the meeting, Fallsburg Teachers Association Patricia Bertholf told the Town Board that trust between faculty and Gonzalez had been severed over the investigation, in which police interviewed and sought drug tests from the teachers and aide. We want the program to be successful and continue strong communication between the staff and the school resource officer, Williams said. And there was clearly a lack of communication there. In November, Gonzalez was honored by Gov. Andrew Cuomo for rushing into a collapsed Village of Liberty building in October 2011 to aid two people trapped inside. Cuomo presented Gonzalez with a state Medal of Valor. No one mentioned those heroics on Monday. Instead, Bertholf read a statement faulting the police department on a number of fronts, including allowing Gonzalez to read Miranda rights and question the teachers. You allowed officer Gonzalez to assume a leadership role in this investigation when it should have been you, Bertholf told Williams. This completely severed the trust between the staff and the SRO Gonzalez, she said. Williams, who once worked as a school resource officer, said the importance of the program to the school and Cosors kids drove the decision to reassign Gonzalez to patrol. Gonzalez, who was upset when told, was a visible presence at Cosor, directing traffic in the mornings and showing up for school dances, Williams said. At a recent school board meeting, he gave a presentation on a safety patrol he started at Cosor, Williams said. I always thought that nobody could ever stand up to me as a school resource officer, Williams said. He beat me; he was that good
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 11:18:23 +0000
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