Edward Peruta
Regular Member
Those of us who follow abuse of firearms laws in Connecticut are not suprised by this story.
Connecticut firearm laws are very specific regarding why, when and how a person must RELINQUISH their handguns!
This situation only goes to prove the point that Connecticut laws are not being followed by ROGUE members of Connecut law enforcment.
Someone should trace the weapons back to the last owner throught the use of the DPS computer system to determine the real facts.
Courant.com
Police Discipline Sergeant For Ethics Violations
By DON STACOM, dstacom@courant.com
9:59 PM EDT, August 15, 2010
BRISTOL —
A veteran police officer faces a three-week suspension after an internal investigation found extensive ethical violations in the department's evidence-handling operation, including a personal collection of handguns.
Sgt. Rodney Gotowala spent years accumulating the guns in the police evidence vault, including several that he obtained "by less than honest and professional" means, according to the investigative report.
They were stored alongside official evidence, and a few had been there so long Gotowala apparently could no longer tell which were city property and which were his, the investigator said.
The case is the latest in a series of probes since the late 1990s that raise questions about management of the police department's detective division, which has been led by Lt. Thomas Killiany for more than 20 years.
During that time, police discovered that a detective had dumped signed felony confessions and evidence from an attempted murder case into a desk drawer, where they sat forgotten for months. In 2005, the city pressed another detective to retire after learning that had abandoned half-finished criminal investigations and tossed the case folders under stacks of paperwork on his desk.
Capt. Daniel McIntyre called that situation "a comprehensive failure of supervision" and brought serious departmental charges against Killiany. Chief John DiVenere issued only a written reprimand, though, and promised new safeguards and better oversight of the detective division.
But the housecleaning didn't reach the detective division's evidence vault until last winter.
A detective sergeant reorganizing the room became curious about a rarely used locker, and he discovered 17 handguns inside, setting off an investigation that concluded Gotowala had abused his job to obtain special benefits and also mishandled official records.
Before becoming a patrol sergeant in 2004, Gotowala worked for years as a detective in the evidence unit, and he apparently began storing his personal gun collection, boxes of ammunition and his guitar alongside police evidence.
At least twice, he inaccurately told residents that they had to relinquish their handguns — and then bought them himself, the investigative report said. He also had two guns that
should have been destroyed years earlier, investigators concluded, but Gotowala contended he was merely holding them as evidence.
DiVenere concluded that Gotowala was guilty of "conduct unbecoming an officer" and a series of other personnel violations. In a deal signed by the city and the police union on Aug. 3, Gotowala waived his right to appeal the suspension and agreed to retire immediately if commanders find him guilty of any serious violation of rules in the future.
Gotowala is not accused of any crime, and police union President Peter Kot called him "a 30-year employee with an excellent work history." Throughout the investigation, Gotowala said he paid for all the guns he owned and he consistently denied breaking any specific police regulations.
In a 52-page summary of his investigation, Lt. Thomas Grimaldi took a different view.
"Despite the fact that the police department lacks any prevailing written policy or written property/evidence room management standards, his behavior appears to defy even basic police ethics guidelines," wrote Grimaldi, the department's primary internal affairs investigator. "Several of these guns that are now legally owned by Gotowala were obtained by less than honest and professional standards."
Acquiring A Collection
After Gotowala was promoted six years ago, he left something behind in the evidence room where he'd worked: A tall, brown metal cabinet. Alongside it stood similar gray cabinets holding property seized in dozens of criminal cases, some of it waiting to be used at trials. The brown one, though, was always locked, and other detectives simply referred to it as "Rodney's locker" because only Gotowala had the key.
Last fall, Detective Sgt. Thomas Calvello told Gotowala to empty it because police needed the space. When Gotowala hadn't complied months later, Calvello had a key made, opened it and discovered the guns.
Sec. 29-33. Sale, delivery or transfer of pistols and revolvers. Procedure. Penalty. (a) No person, firm or corporation shall sell, deliver or otherwise transfer any pistol or revolver to any person who is prohibited from possessing a pistol or revolver as provided in section 53a-217c.
Sec. 29-36k. Transfer or surrender of firearms by persons ineligible to possess same. Penalty. (a) Not later than two business days after the occurrence of any event that makes a person ineligible to possess a pistol or revolver or other firearm, such person shall (1) transfer in accordance with section 29-33 all pistols and revolvers which such person then possesses to any person eligible to possess a pistol or revolver and transfer in accordance with any applicable state and federal laws all other firearms to any person eligible to possess such other firearms by obtaining an authorization number for the sale or transfer of the firearm from the Commissioner of Public Safety, and submit a sale or transfer of firearms form to said commissioner within two business days, or (2) deliver or surrender such pistols and revolvers and other firearms to the Commissioner of Public Safety. The commissioner shall exercise due care in the receipt and holding of such pistols and revolvers and other firearms.
(b) Such person, or such person's legal representative, may, at any time up to one year after such delivery or surrender, transfer such pistols and revolvers in accordance with the provisions of section 29-33 to any person eligible to possess a pistol or revolver and transfer such other firearms in accordance with any applicable state and federal laws to any person eligible to possess such other firearms. Upon notification in writing by the transferee and such person, the Commissioner of Public Safety shall within ten days deliver such pistols and revolvers or other firearms to the transferee. If, at the end of such year, such pistols and revolvers or other firearms have not been so transferred, the commissioner shall cause them to be destroyed.
(c) Any person who fails to transfer or surrender any such pistols and revolvers and other firearms as provided in this section shall be subject to the penalty provided for in section 53a-217 or 53a-217c.
Sec. 29-38c. Seizure of firearms of person posing risk of imminent personal injury to self or others.
Connecticut firearm laws are very specific regarding why, when and how a person must RELINQUISH their handguns!
This situation only goes to prove the point that Connecticut laws are not being followed by ROGUE members of Connecut law enforcment.
Someone should trace the weapons back to the last owner throught the use of the DPS computer system to determine the real facts.
Courant.com
Police Discipline Sergeant For Ethics Violations
By DON STACOM, dstacom@courant.com
9:59 PM EDT, August 15, 2010
BRISTOL —
A veteran police officer faces a three-week suspension after an internal investigation found extensive ethical violations in the department's evidence-handling operation, including a personal collection of handguns.
Sgt. Rodney Gotowala spent years accumulating the guns in the police evidence vault, including several that he obtained "by less than honest and professional" means, according to the investigative report.
They were stored alongside official evidence, and a few had been there so long Gotowala apparently could no longer tell which were city property and which were his, the investigator said.
The case is the latest in a series of probes since the late 1990s that raise questions about management of the police department's detective division, which has been led by Lt. Thomas Killiany for more than 20 years.
During that time, police discovered that a detective had dumped signed felony confessions and evidence from an attempted murder case into a desk drawer, where they sat forgotten for months. In 2005, the city pressed another detective to retire after learning that had abandoned half-finished criminal investigations and tossed the case folders under stacks of paperwork on his desk.
Capt. Daniel McIntyre called that situation "a comprehensive failure of supervision" and brought serious departmental charges against Killiany. Chief John DiVenere issued only a written reprimand, though, and promised new safeguards and better oversight of the detective division.
But the housecleaning didn't reach the detective division's evidence vault until last winter.
A detective sergeant reorganizing the room became curious about a rarely used locker, and he discovered 17 handguns inside, setting off an investigation that concluded Gotowala had abused his job to obtain special benefits and also mishandled official records.
Before becoming a patrol sergeant in 2004, Gotowala worked for years as a detective in the evidence unit, and he apparently began storing his personal gun collection, boxes of ammunition and his guitar alongside police evidence.
At least twice, he inaccurately told residents that they had to relinquish their handguns — and then bought them himself, the investigative report said. He also had two guns that
should have been destroyed years earlier, investigators concluded, but Gotowala contended he was merely holding them as evidence.
DiVenere concluded that Gotowala was guilty of "conduct unbecoming an officer" and a series of other personnel violations. In a deal signed by the city and the police union on Aug. 3, Gotowala waived his right to appeal the suspension and agreed to retire immediately if commanders find him guilty of any serious violation of rules in the future.
Gotowala is not accused of any crime, and police union President Peter Kot called him "a 30-year employee with an excellent work history." Throughout the investigation, Gotowala said he paid for all the guns he owned and he consistently denied breaking any specific police regulations.
In a 52-page summary of his investigation, Lt. Thomas Grimaldi took a different view.
"Despite the fact that the police department lacks any prevailing written policy or written property/evidence room management standards, his behavior appears to defy even basic police ethics guidelines," wrote Grimaldi, the department's primary internal affairs investigator. "Several of these guns that are now legally owned by Gotowala were obtained by less than honest and professional standards."
Acquiring A Collection
After Gotowala was promoted six years ago, he left something behind in the evidence room where he'd worked: A tall, brown metal cabinet. Alongside it stood similar gray cabinets holding property seized in dozens of criminal cases, some of it waiting to be used at trials. The brown one, though, was always locked, and other detectives simply referred to it as "Rodney's locker" because only Gotowala had the key.
Last fall, Detective Sgt. Thomas Calvello told Gotowala to empty it because police needed the space. When Gotowala hadn't complied months later, Calvello had a key made, opened it and discovered the guns.
Sec. 29-33. Sale, delivery or transfer of pistols and revolvers. Procedure. Penalty. (a) No person, firm or corporation shall sell, deliver or otherwise transfer any pistol or revolver to any person who is prohibited from possessing a pistol or revolver as provided in section 53a-217c.
Sec. 29-36k. Transfer or surrender of firearms by persons ineligible to possess same. Penalty. (a) Not later than two business days after the occurrence of any event that makes a person ineligible to possess a pistol or revolver or other firearm, such person shall (1) transfer in accordance with section 29-33 all pistols and revolvers which such person then possesses to any person eligible to possess a pistol or revolver and transfer in accordance with any applicable state and federal laws all other firearms to any person eligible to possess such other firearms by obtaining an authorization number for the sale or transfer of the firearm from the Commissioner of Public Safety, and submit a sale or transfer of firearms form to said commissioner within two business days, or (2) deliver or surrender such pistols and revolvers and other firearms to the Commissioner of Public Safety. The commissioner shall exercise due care in the receipt and holding of such pistols and revolvers and other firearms.
(b) Such person, or such person's legal representative, may, at any time up to one year after such delivery or surrender, transfer such pistols and revolvers in accordance with the provisions of section 29-33 to any person eligible to possess a pistol or revolver and transfer such other firearms in accordance with any applicable state and federal laws to any person eligible to possess such other firearms. Upon notification in writing by the transferee and such person, the Commissioner of Public Safety shall within ten days deliver such pistols and revolvers or other firearms to the transferee. If, at the end of such year, such pistols and revolvers or other firearms have not been so transferred, the commissioner shall cause them to be destroyed.
(c) Any person who fails to transfer or surrender any such pistols and revolvers and other firearms as provided in this section shall be subject to the penalty provided for in section 53a-217 or 53a-217c.
Sec. 29-38c. Seizure of firearms of person posing risk of imminent personal injury to self or others.
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