DELHI _ The alleged behavior of two Delhi police officers involved in three separate incidents has resulted in three official complaints to Delhi village officials.
Delaware County Social Services Commissioner William Moon, William Sprague of DeLancey and Jim Bracci of Delhi have each submitted written reports alleging misbehavior and behavior unbecoming an officer.
The Delhi mayor has said he cannot comment on the allegations, as they are personnel matters. Attempts to telephone the two officers last week were unsuccessful.
In the most-recent allegation, Moon sent a letter dated June 15 to Michael Mills, Delhi's officer in charge, and to Delhi Mayor Richard Maxey complaining about Officer Robert Ennis' behavior after Ennis responded to a 911 call at the Department of Social Services (DSS) on June 10.
Moon said that the call was in response to a young pregnant woman fainting. The woman has a complicated medical condition, he said, which has resulted in several fainting incidents since August.
Moon said Ennis' presence was not requested or needed because the DSS has several trained EMTs on staff and its own law-enforcement officers.
One of the EMTs was administering first aid and asked Ennis to withdraw, but according to Moon, he did not.
"I was incensed," Moon said. "It was conduct unbecoming an officer, and there were many witnesses."
Moon said Ennis was so intrusive and loud, the patient was afraid to get into the ambulance because she feared that he would get in with her.
Ennis then left the DSS building, Moon said, and went to the O'Connor Hospital emergency room, where he "continued a line of projective questioning with the EMT and hospital staff that reflected his own misguided and uninformed opinions about this patient," according to Moon.
Moon said his letters to Mills and Maxey had not yielded a response as of June 23. Maxey said June 24 that he had a conversation with Moon, and that Mills was on vacation.
Ennis is a full-time police officer, according to Maxey.
October incident alleged
Sprague said he was stopped in the privately owned driveway between Stewart's Department Store and Kiff's Inc. at 7:21 p.m. Oct. 18 to drop off a bill payment at Kiff's when part-time Officer William St. Jacques pulled behind him, allegedly without headlights on.
Sprague said he was unaware of St. Jacques' presence until the officer struck the rear-door window of Sprague's truck with his flashlight, chipping the glass and frightening the children in the back seat.
Diane Morrison, who was with Sprague, said St. Jacques' opening comment was, "Are you for real?" She said he repeated that several times. She said the children, ages 12, 10 and 7, were frightened and crying.
Sprague said he attempted to tell the officer that he was going to pay the bill and leave, but St. Jacques allegedly wouldn't let him speak and began screaming at him, using foul language. According to Sprague, the officer said that Sprague had to move the truck because it was in a public street.
Sprague said he agreed to move the truck, pulling onto Main Street and re-entering the driveway that circles the property from the other side to park in front of Smoker's Choice.
St. Jacques pulled behind him again, Sprague said, continued speaking for about a half-hour, and issued a ticket for failure to keep right.
Sprague, who said he had never received a traffic ticket, attempted to fight it in court. However, he said, St. Jacques' version was not truthful, and the testimony resulted in Sprague paying a $185 fine.
Sprague has submitted a $300 bill to the village to cover the cost of replacing the chipped window.
Bracci: Son was accosted
Bracci, who owns Mid County Auto Body and Glass Inc., said his complaint involves St. Jacques and a misunderstanding about a dealer license plate that registered as stolen on a new police car camera system that reads license plates.
A trooper stopped one of Bracci's workers in March, he said, but within minutes recognized that the problem was a glitch in the system.
Bracci said he made several calls to the state Motor Vehicle Department to ensure that the plate was not stolen and was not listed as stolen. However, within a few days, Bracci's son, James, was using the plate to deliver a car when the Delhi village police car-plate reader, operated by St. Jacques, went off.
Bracci said St. Jacques is acquainted with his son, but told James to put his hands on the wheel. St. Jacques allegedly ordered James out of the car, put him against the back of the car and handcuffed him.
Bracci's nephew Nate Bracci, who was also in the car, called Bracci so he could explain the situation to St. Jacques.
"When I got on the phone, (St. Jacques) started screaming at me," Bracci said. "I got a tongue-lashing from him that I won't soon forget; then he hung up on me and threw the phone."
Bracci said St. Jacques confiscated the plate.
"I don't understand why a trooper I had never met treated me in a professional, polite manner, but a local police officer who knows and recognized my son treated us in such a rude, unprofessional and out-of-control manner," Bracci said.
He said he wrote a letter to Mills, but Mills backed St. Jacques.
Maxey said the three incidents are all classified as personnel matters and he was not able to discuss them. He added that two of the events took place before he became mayor on April 6.
Maxey said Ennis is one of four full-time police officers on the Delhi village police force, and St. Jacques is one of four part-time officers.
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Patricia Breakey can be reached at 746-2894 or at stardelhi@stny.rr.com.
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