New Haven Independent

Jose Silva (pictured) was the third cop, after Lt. Billy White and Detective Justen Kasperzyk, to be snared in a federal probe into bribery and theft in the police narcotics unit.

Silva, 36, faces up to two years in prison after pleading guilty on Oct. 5 to one misdemeanor civil rights violation for covering up a 2006 narcotics raid where drugs were planted in a suspect’s room. In his plea, Silva also admitted to pocketing $500 in money stolen from a drug bust on Fillmore Street.

After making those admissions in federal court, Silva was required to give up his badge, gun and police ID. Police Chief Cisco Ortiz recommended termination, and called for a hearing Monday morning before the Board of Police Commissioners.

Knowing his 12-year career on the New Haven police force had ended, Silva made a last-minute attempt to save a little face by entering a resignation at his termination hearing.

Silva, solemn, wearing a white button-down shirt, said not a word during the public portion of the hearing. His attorney, Kenneth DeLorenzo of AFSCME Council 15, asked for and was granted a closed-door session for the substantive part of the termination hearing.

Inside, the commission and a team of union reps heard the “charge” or the reason for termination. Silva was charged with violating department rules by issuing a false report, stealing government property, and exhibiting conduct that would “cause to discredit, lower or injure the morals” of the department, according to the charge. The main piece of evidence given, according to DeLorenzo, was Silva’s guilty plea. (Click here to read it).

In the two drug raids detailed in the plea, Silva had a much more of passive role than his colleague Kasperzyk, who pleaded guilty to a more severe felony civil rights charge as well as a misdemeanor charge of theft of government funds. Kasperzyk and White have already been fired.

In the Nov. 9, 2006 drug raid on 65-67 Truman St., for which Silva was given the civil rights violation, Silva didn’t plant the drugs; he just wrote a false report covering up for a fellow detective, according to court documents. Silva admitted to watching Kasperzyk move drugs from a basement to a suspect’s bedroom dresser, then frame and arrest the man. Silva never reported Kasperzyk’s misdeed. Silva also admitted to taking $500 in drug money seized from a Fillmore Street home on March 1, 2007, money Kasperzyk had stuck in his pocket “as a surprise.”

In light of Silva’s more passive role, and a “clean record” prior to the two incidents for which he was arrested, the detective and the union hoped the commission would allow him to resign.

“We were hoping they would look at the those 12 years prior to those two incidents,” said Louis Cavaliere, president of the police union, in the hallway outside the hearing room. “He had a good record. Everybody liked working with him,” said Cavaliere.

Police commissioners, however, appeared not to hesitate in rejecting that plea. They swiftly examined evidence in a hearing lasting less than 20 minutes. Taking another quick 20 minutes to discuss the vote, they emerged with a unanimous verdict: “Guilty as charged.” The board voted 4-0 to terminate the detective.

The difference between resignation and termination, for someone with only 12 years on the force, was purely symbolic, not financial.

“The message is the community cannot tolerate this kind of behavior from police,” said Board of Police Commission Chair Rick Epstein (pictured). “This was clearly egregious behavior” threatening public trust. “There needs to be trust between the community and police for us to function as a community.”

Silva will be eligible for a pension of around $17,000 or $18,000 per year, said city labor relations director Emmet Hibson, Jr. The pension is equal to 23.8 percent of Silva’s average salary for the five highest-earning years. The pension is “vested,” meaning it wouldn’t be available to him for another eight years, the year at which he would have hit the 20-year mark on the force.

“It’s a hard day for labor to see one of your members go this way,” said Cavaliere.

Chief Ortiz maintained that Silva’s actions “are not indicative of the vast majority of the men and women in this department.” The termination sends a message that “we will hold ourselves accountable,” and that the police department “will go after anyone who knew about [illegal] behavior and didn’t report it.”

More arrests may be forthcoming: An internal investigation is continuing into other people who have been implicated in the corruption scope. Ortiz said the investigation includes the actions of Det. Julie Raymond, who admitted in this complaint to accepting overtime payment for work she did not complete.