Three written complaints against the police were recently submitted to Delhi village officials. The reports _ written by Delaware County Social Services Commissioner William Moon, William Sprague of DeLancey and Jim Bracci of Delhi _ allege police misbehavior and conduct unbecoming of an officer.
The alleged incidents involved Officers Robert Ennis and William St. Jacques. In Ennis' case, it is alleged he responded to a 911 call at the Department of Social Services on June 10 and refused to withdraw upon request of an EMT administering first aid.
According to Moon, Ennis was "so intrusive and loud," his behavior intimidated the patient.
The other two complaints involve St. Jacques. It is alleged that St. Jacques was belligerent to Sprague when the latter was in his truck on the night of Oct. 18 with passengers, including children. Sprague told The Daily Star he was parked in a privately owned driveway to drop off a bill payment.
According to Sprague, St. Jacques pulled in behind him without his headlights on, and chipped the glass of the truck's rear-door window when he struck it with his flashlight. Foul language was allegedly used by St. Jacques during the traffic stop, which ended with the officer issuing Sprague a ticket for failure to keep right.
Bracci alleged that St. Jacques was belligerent to him on the phone. Bracci's son James and nephew Nate had been pulled over by St. Jacques after a dealer license plate on James' car set off a stolen-plate reader operated by St. Jacques.
According to Bracci, Nate called him in the hopes of quelling the situation, which had allegedly escalated to St. Jacques putting James up against the back of the car and handcuffing him. Once again, heated words were allegedly exchanged between a citizen and St. Jacques.
The nature of these complaints raises an opportunity for the village of Delhi to address police-citizen relations. Even the perception of impropriety can hurt the community.
It is always productive for governments to examine how its law-enforcement officers are interacting with the public. In 2006, after the killing of an unarmed black man, New York Police Department Commissioner Raymond Kelly instituted sensitivity classes for police-academy recruits.
We urge the village of Delhi to consider such training for its officers.
Mutual respect between police officers and the civilians they serve and protect is vital toward creating a functioning community.
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