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Dozens of officers in New York Police Directorate in a small town nearby Canadian border They were fined for allegedly participating in an unauthorized strike during the snowy part of this winter.
The union described fines as a retaliation and abuse of the authorities who denied the proceedings of the clerk.
One of the officers says the charges are not true. He went to work, participated in duty training, and even stopped in drunken state during the range when the snow “Every day”.
“They are upset that we have not earned enough money and met their perceived ticket quota,” said Andy Thompson, and Tonawanda police Police officer and president of the Union of Department, Tonawanda Police Club.
Police chief Tonawande James Stauffiger after the awards ceremony in March. The local police union is advocating for their overthrow after members are charged with an unauthorized strike. (Tonawanda City Police Directorate)
Police chief Tonawande James Stauffiger, who is union asking the city’s residents to be ejected, said Thompson’s allegations “without merit.”
“I stand behind the charges filed against the Union With a committee committee with public officers and individual officials, “he told Fox News Digital.” The process must take place honestly and thoroughly. “
Thompson is among almost 50 officers accused of strike without approval for one hour a day during a nine-day part and had two hours of salary for each of those days, according to a letter received by Tonawand Supervisor Town Joe Emminger.
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“We didn’t strike. We showed up at work every day. We did our job every day,” Thompson told Fox News Digital. “We didn’t write enough tickets, and we didn’t invest enough money in the city cash register. And they decided that every officer would be fine.”
The ticket quotas are illegal to New York’s law, he noted, and retaliation in the workplace may be retaliations.
Between the end of January to February, the city got so many snowfall that road salt ran out, and there was an increase in police calls. Officers also had to spend 16 hours on training with new weapons issued departments, all during the lack of staff after seven officials withdrew or left at the beginning of the New Year, Thompson told Fox News Digital.
Tonawanda Police Directorate headquarters (Google Maps)
Tonawanda police have issued 123 tickets this year, the application is submitted with New York Committee on Public Relationship Relations. Between 2021 and 2024, the department issued between 439 and 653 in the same period. The city leaders in the document argued that the reduction of the consequences that officials did not fall in without approval violated by the State Laws on State Service.
“It’s unheard of,” said Mike O’Mear, president of the New York Police Conference, the largest state police union. “They make this as they go together.”
He called the city’s work appeal against the officers of Tonawande “unprecedented”, as well as fines, which are twice higher than the hourly salary of officers for every hour that they allegedly invaded.
“It may be somewhat unprecedented to claim that reducing traffic tickets is a strike,” said Jerry Cutler, author of the “Legal Guide to Human Resources” and a lecturer in Columbia University. “However, a critical question from a legal standpoint is whether employees refrained from performing their duties in a normal way.”
Andy Thompson is the president of the local police union, a Tonawanda police club, and is accused of participating in a unauthorized strike. (Andy Thompson)
Experts say that, aside, it comes down to one who has more convincing evidence.
“A reduction in the amount of tickets may indicate a harmonized effort to interfere with the employer’s business, in which case the action of a illegal strike is likely to be found,” Cutler told Fox News Digital. “Alternatively, evidence may suggest some legitimate reason for reduced ticket volume – or that this is not a suitable comparison means – which would lead to the discovery that the law was not violated.”
Department leaders say that the officers were strike in protest against disciplinary measures taken against the tonawande bikramjit singh and US Army The veteran is charged with the wrong procedure of evidence while investigating a potential drug agreement.
“He had a body camera. Opens this bottle of water. There’s a bag there,” Thompson said. “He looks at the bag. … he says it’s a garbage. He wraps him in his glove and puts her away.”
However, a Drug distributor And the suspect’s drug user later told police that there were drugs in the bag, and the department officers moved to Singh for the ejection, Thompson said. The alleged drugs have never been recovered, but Singh ended the resignation from the dismissal could cost him a certificate of law implementation, Thompson said.
Tonawande supervisor Joe Emminger speaks during his state address in the city, February 7, 2025. It is included in the dispute that is underway with the local police union. (City of Tonawanda/Facebook)
The tensions have already passed between the rank and the Stauffiger, the appointed Emminger accusing, of being unjustly forced Singha and the denial of paper that will allow him to find new employment in the implementation of the law in another department.
Stauffiger, a 30-year-old member of the Department, was appointed boss five years ago as part of an effort to eradicate corruption from the department. Thompson also represents a new leadership, because he was the president of the Union for just over a year.
“There is no procedure, and the whole thing is done between a supervisor and a law firm representing a city, which also donates large amounts of money campaigns to the city supervisors and the city of Tonawanda Democratic party campaigns“Thompson said, citing public records.” So, it’s more of a witch hunt than anything. “
Emminger did not answer the commentary request. Not even a city law firm.
Thompson believes that the allegations mark the first time when the State Law on Civil Service was used to punish police officers for failing to fulfill “quotas” after saying that the City lost money due to reducing traffic quotes issued during snowfall.
“This will eventually be a case law until this is all over,” Thompson said. “This has never been done before a police union.”
The union has launched a public campaign by urging residents to demand that local leaders remove Stauffiger, who accuse of retaliation and harassment and denying “basic equipment”, including winter coats.
According to the union, at a time when officials allegedly strike, the department still made seven Driving arrests in drunken stateHe has released more than 300 tickets and responded to almost 2,000 more calls for a service than the same period a year earlier with 14 fewer officers.
“Real losers are residents of the city,” O’Mear told Fox News Digital. “They say,” Be sure to mark the inhabitants of this city. “”
