Previous entries:- [CT] Sgt. Gittings wife Laurie, bruised, "but no one was seriously injured"
- [CT] No charges for Sgt Gittings bruising up Laurie
- [CT] Sgt. Gittings suspended & demoted after dv with wife
June hearing set for appeal of suspension
Republican-American (Waterbury, CT)
QUANNAH LEONARD
April 18, 2008
SEYMOUR - Police Officer Richard Gittings has completed his three-month suspension and will return to work Monday.
Gittings was officially due back Wednesday, but he took off a few days and will start Monday, said Lt. Paul Satkowski, police department spokesman.
Gittings has an appeal pending on his suspension. A hearing has been set for mid-June before the state Board of Mediation and Arbitration.
In January, Gittings ' attorney, Gregory Cerritelli, and the Seymour Police Union filed paperwork with the state Board of Mediation and Arbitration, requesting a hearing on the suspension.
The Board of Police Commissioners in January stripped Gittings of his stripes for six months following the suspension, and said it will determine whether to reinstate his rank after that.
The board also ruled 3-2 that Gittings violated the department duty manual for repeated offenses of conduct unbecoming an officer and for violating the oath of office and the code of ethics. The charges stemmed from an Aug. 15 domestic dispute between Gittings and his wife, Laurie Anne, both of 11 Glen Circle Drive.
Both were charged with breach of peace. The charges were later nolled [PROSECUTION WAS DROPPED] in Milford Superior Court.
Seymour cop has history of charges
ReplyDeleteRepublican-American (Waterbury, CT)
October 25, 2007
BY JODIE MOZDZER
SEYMOUR - When police Sgt. Richard Gittings goes before the Board of Police Commissioners in the next month, it won't be his first appearance. The embattled officer went before the board in 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2006 for charges ranging from conduct unbecoming, neglect of duty, insubordination, casting disrepute to the department and indignity to a citizen.
He's spent a total of 15 days under suspension, four of which he was able to substitute with vacation days, for the different incidents.
On Thursday, Chief Michael E. Metzler recommended the board hold yet another hearing to discuss the conduct of Gittings , this time to review department violations stemming from an Aug. 15 arrest of Gittings and his wife, Laurie Anne, both 45, of 11 Glen Circle.
The suggested charges were not disclosed Thursday, but were made public Monday after Gittings received notification.
Metzler has charged Gittings with violating the sections of the duty manual dealing with the officers' code of ethics and conduct unbecoming an officer.
Gittings and his wife were charged with breach of peace after a domestic dispute. Gittings was placed on paid administrative leave afterwards, and had to relinquish his firearms under the Gun Control Act of 1968, which prohibits someone subject to a domestic violence restraining order from carrying a firearm.
He returned to work Oct. 8 after joint protective orders for the couple were waived by a Milford Superior Court judge, who made a stipulation that Gittings could carry his weapon during work hours, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Gittingses are due back in Milford Superior Court Dec. 4. Gittings declined to comment Monday, and Metzler didn't return calls for comment.
Officer's domestic dispute case nolled - But prosecution could still reopen case against Seymour 's Gittings
ReplyDeleteRepublican-American (Waterbury, CT)
BY JODIE MOZDZER
December 5, 2007
SEYMOUR - A Milford Superior Court judge has agreed to nolle a domestic dispute case involving Seymour police Sgt. Richard Gittings and his wife, Laurie Anne.
Judge John F. Cronan granted a nolle in the case, which means that while there was probable cause for an arrest, the state has decided not to prosecute. Under a nolle, the prosecution retains the right to reopen the case at any time during the next 13 months.
Richard Gittings , 46, and Laurie Anne Gittings , 45, were arrested and charged with breach of peace on Aug. 15 at their Glen Circle home, following a domestic dispute.
At a court appearance Tuesday, Gittings ' Attorney Gregory Cerritelli asked Cronan to dismiss the case entirely, but Cronan said he was not comfortable doing that.
Cronan noted a condition made by a previous judge, Judge Sheridan Moore, that allowed Gittings to return to work at the department with his firearm, despite protective orders that were placed following the arrest. Typically, someone with a domestic violence restraining order cannot carry a firearm, but Moore lifted the orders and allowed Gittings to carry his gun only while working his regular shift.
While the court case is essentially over, Gittings will still have to face the Board of Police Commissioners this month for a hearing on his actions.
The police department performed an internal affairs investigation on Gittings following the arrest. Chief Michael E. Metzler recommended that the Board of Police Commissioners hold a hearing to determine if Gittlings violated sections of the duty manual dealing with the officers' code of ethics and conduct unbecoming an officer.
Lt. Paul Satkowski, the department spokesperson, said that the action in court does not play into the police commissioners' hearing on Gittings , which was scheduled for today but postponed at the request of the attorneys for the department and Gittings.
Gittings declined to comment Tuesday. No date has been set for the hearing.