Possible consequences of a police officer volunteering to serve as a defense witnesses in a criminal matter

Possible consequences of a police officer volunteering  to serve as a defense witnesses in a criminal matter

Green v Philadelphia Housing Authority, 105 F.3d 882

Sometimes a police officer is asked to volunteer to be a defense witness at a criminal trial or at a preliminary criminal proceeding. The Green decision explores a number of issues that could arise when a law enforcement officer agrees to serve as a witness for a defendant in a some aspect of a criminal proceeding and the possible consequences of such participation.

Donald Green, a police officer for the Philadelphia Housing Authority, appeared at a bail hearing but did not give testimony. The authority later  transferred Donald Green from special drug enforcement duty to regular patrol duty.

Green contended that his transfer constituted unlawful retaliation for his participating in a protected First Amendment activity. He sued the Authority and a number of his superiors. He failed, however, to persuade the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal, Third Circuit, that his rights had been violated.

Green had agreed to serve as a character witness for Herbert Keller, the son of a long time friend. He sought and obtained approval to do so from his superiors, provided he participated "during his lunch hour and in civilian clothing." When Green appeared at the hearing, he learned that the charges pending against Keller "included organized crime activity in connection with the Stanfa crime organization."  Green told Keller he could not be associated with the case and left the hearing without testifying.

Conceding that there was no information, or even any suspicion, that Green was involved with organized crime, PHA claimed that his transfer was nonetheless justified. It explained that Green was reassigned "in case there was anything where [the Housing Authority Police Department] might be embarrassed . . ." and because it "was right for the organization."

The Court, applying the "Pickering balancing test" [Pickering v Board of Education, 391 U.S. 563], ruled that Green had to meet the following conditions to prevail:

a. His court appearance must constitute "speech ... on a matter of public concern;" and

b. The public interest favoring his expression "must not be outweighed by any injury the speech could cause to the interest of the state as an employer in promoting the efficiency of the public services it performs through its employees."

The Circuit Court decided that a public employee's appearance as a witness, even in the absence of actual testimony, is "speech" under Pickering and that a public employee's speech involves a matter of public concern if it can "be fairly considered as relating to any matter of political, social, or other concern to the community."

Although Green satisfied both of these requirements according to the Court, this did not prove sufficient for him to win his appeal. The question as to whether Green's free speech interest in testifying as a character witness is outweighed by any injury the speech could cause to the interests of the Housing Authority Police Department as the employer proved to be the critical element in the Court's analysis.

On this issue the Court concluded that "if Green's court appearance could potentially disrupt the work of the Housing Authority Police Department, and this potential for injury outweighs the public's interest in Green's speech, then judgment for the Authority is proper." The Court agreed with the district court's ruling in the Authority's favor as a matter of law. The District Court had decided that Green's appearance at the bail hearing injured PHA's interests in minimizing departmental disruption and maintaining an environment of trust and security.

The Circuit Court held that the fact that Green appeared as a witness at a bail hearing in contrast to serving as a witness at a trial was not compelling when compared to the interests of the Housing Authority Police Department as an employer to:

a. fight drugs and crime successfully;

b. protect the safety of its officers and other members of the community;

c. foster trust and confidence among its officers and between its officers and other law enforcement drug units; and

d. protecting the Housing Authority Police Department's reputation.

The Court rejected Green's argument that he should not be held responsible for creating the potential disruption because he followed departmental procedures and testified only after receiving express permission to do so from his superiors.

Significantly, the Circuit Court held that a public employee in a sensitive position like Green's cannot turn a blind eye to the possible consequences of his voluntary testimony. The responsibility must lie with Green to investigate the nature of the criminal charges, and to bear any risks associated with his voluntary court appearance.

Nonmandatory subject of collective bargaining

Nonmandatory subject of collective bargaining

Matter of Village of Buchanan, 29 PERB 3061

One of the items submitted to compulsory interest arbitration by the Buchanan Police Association concerned a demand involving the "minimum time period a floater will work." The demand required a floater to be called in only for full [four day] tours of duty.

PERB affirmed the administrative law judges ruling that this was a nonmandatory subject of collective bargaining as it "interfered with the Village's right to determine the number of police officers on duty at a given time."

Alleging misconduct by an arbitrator

Alleging misconduct by an arbitrator

Security Unit Employees v New York State Correctional Services, 36 AD2d 546

When must a party raise the issue of misconduct by an arbitrator as justification for vacating an arbitration award? If a party waits until the matter is before an appellate body before first raising the question, its apparently too late.

As the Court commented in the Security Unit Employees case, if a party wishes to vacate an arbitrator's award on the ground of misconduct by the arbitrator, the allegation may not be initially raised in the course of an appeal.

The Appellate Division refused to listen to such an allegation in the course of its consideration of the union's appeal seeking to vacate an arbitration award on the grounds of misconduct by the arbitrator.

The union also claimed that the arbitrator failed to issue the arbitration decision within "the contractual time limitation" for issuing awards.

The Appellate Division said that the "short delay" in issuing the award did not prejudice the union and declined to set aside the award for that reason.

Improper practice determinations

Improper practice determinations

Selected determinations by the Public Employment Relations Board

Summarized below are selected rulings by PERB administrative law judges concerning improper practice charges:

1. BREACH OF CONTRACT: Allegations that an employee organization has refused to schedule disciplinary hearings in accordance with the time limits set out in the collective bargaining agreement did not constitute an improper practice within the meaning of the Taylor Law. PERB does not have jurisdiction to resolve alleged breaches or violations of the terms of a collective bargaining agreement. PERB does have jurisdiction, however, where it is shown that the "at-issue contractual provision has been totally abandoned." [Matter of the Westchester County Correction Officers Benevolent Association, 30 PERB 4502; Monte Klein, Director of Employment Practices and Representation]

2. BARGAINING UNIT WORK: A school district did not commit an improper practice by unilaterally entering into an agreement with a BOCES which resulted in BOCES supplying a remedial mathematics teacher notwithstanding the fact that teaching remedial mathematics was "exclusive bargaining unit work." Citing Webster Central School District v PERB, 75 NY2d 619, PERB's administrative law judge held that "the decision of a school board to contract for a BOCES instructional program" is not a mandatory subject of collective bargaining. [Matter of Odessa-Montour Central School District, 30 PERB 4505; Administrative Law Judge J. Albert Barsamian]

3. INTEREST ARBITRATION: A party may not convert a nonmandatory subject of collective bargaining under the Taylor into a mandatory subject of negotiations by submitting it to compulsory interest arbitration. It was an improper practice for the employer submit its contract  demands seeking to eliminate contract provisions concerning minimum staffing and call-back pay to compulsory interest arbitration. Matter of Glens Falls Firefighters Union, 30 PERB 4506, Kenneth J. Toomey, Assistant Director of Public Employment Practices and Representation.

4. TRANSFER OF SERVICES: It was an improper practice for a school district to unilaterally transfer its printing services then being exclusively performed by bargaining unit employees to a BOCES. Although the unilateral transfers of services to a BOCES is permitted, such transfers are limited to educational services and "services closely related thereto." PERB's administrative law judge ruled that the Webster ruling [75 NY2d 619 and §1950 of the Education Law cannot be read to encompass printing functions as "educational services and services closely related thereto ... by whatever name." Matter of Vestal Employee Association, NEA/NY, 30 PERB 4515, Administrative Law Judge J. Albert Barsamian.

5. EXPIRATION OF AGREEMENT: The employer violated the Taylor Law by refusing to continue paying the uniform allowance contained  in the parties expired collective bargaining agreement. Inclusion of the term "of each year of the agreement" did not serve to limit the payment of the benefit only for the life of the agreement absent a "sunset provision" demonstrating that the parties intended to limit payment of the benefit to the life of the agreement. [Matter of the Division of State Police, 30 PERB 4515, Administrative Law Judge Susan A. Comenzo]

Cofsky v Sinnott

Freedom of information

McCray v Lennon, NYS Supreme Court

Louis McCray, currently serving twenty years to life at Green Haven Correctional Facility, filed a Freedom of Information [FOIL] request seeking agency records that would identify the employment status, titles, and date of termination of a certain employee of a police department. When the Department refused to provide the information on the grounds that McCray had not properly identify the information he was seeking, McCray sued.

Citing Bahlman v Brier, 119 Misc2d 110, the Court ruled that the disclosure of such employee information would be an invasion of privacy within the meaning of §87.2 of the Public Officers Law and dismissed McCray complaint.

The Court said that there was a need to balance the public's right to know with the right of innocent individuals to be protected from unwarranted intrusions in their personal lives. Accordingly, the Court concluded, the Department's refusal to release information demanded, even if the request had been properly made, was appropriate because of the nature of the requested information.