Were departmental politics inside the NFPD behind the belated driving while intoxicated allegation leveled last week against Daniel Bristol, the man mayor-elect Vince Anello has named as the next city administrator?
Some top cops say yes.
"In more than 30 years on the force, I've never seen anything like this," one veteran lawman told the Reporter. "This thing stinks to high heaven."
According to the official report, Bristol was picked up in the 500 block of Third Street at 12:10 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 27. Witnesses in the neighborhood report Bristol's distinctive new Cadillac was in the same spot later that day as it had been the night before, causing some to wonder what "driving" actually took place.
The arresting officer, Lt. Daniel Bird, and his partner, Ptl. David Bower, transported Bristol to the Public Safety Building, where Bristol told officers he had the flu and was on medication, and volunteered to take a breathalyzer test.
The test was never administered, and Bristol was released after being cited for an illegal signal and crossing the center line.
But the case was far from over. Police sources told the Reporter that, on the morning of Friday, Nov. 28, outgoing police Superintendent Christopher Carlin met with officers involved in the incident and demanded Bristol be charged with driving while intoxicated. Carlin was brought in from the sheriff's department by Mayor Irene Elia when she took office in January 2000. He is the brother-in-law of Public Works Director and former Elia campaign manager Paul Colangelo.
Although he lobbied to be kept on, Carlin is widely expected to lose his job in less than 30 days when Anello announces his department head appointments.
Following what was described as a heated exchange and threatened disciplinary action, the officers involved in the case agreed to amend their report and added the driving while intoxicated charge more than 36 hours after the original incident.
"They had the guy, he volunteered to take the breath test, they decided not to give it to him and then they cut him loose," one top police official said. "How do they turn around and charge him two days later?"
Politics within the NFPD have reached a fever pitch over the past year. Drastic cuts in manpower under the Elia administration led the police unions to break a long-standing policy of not endorsing candidates and throwing their endorsement to Anello.
Police department sources said the arresting officer in the case, Lt. Daniel Bird, was a vocal opponent of the Anello endorsement.
The arrest report itself is unusual in several respects.
To begin with, there is no "narrative," the section of the report that details exactly what happened leading up to the arrest.
In complicated cases, the narrative section can be several pages long.
Also, the report is unsigned by either the arresting officer or the supervisor in charge.
In a brief statement, Bristol denied the allegations.
"I do want to say that the police officers I dealt with were gentlemen, and acted in a highly professional manner," he said. "Aside from that, I have given the traffic tickets to my attorney, who will handle this in the ordinary course."
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | December 2 2003 |