Officials mull disciplinary charges

The strip-searched person would have to file a criminal complaint, the law director says.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The police officer who admitted in an internal investigation to strip-searching every man he arrests could face disciplinary action on the job.
Disciplinary action also will be considered against his partner, Mayor Hank Angelo says.
"The administrative charges will be filed tomorrow," Angelo said.
These charges stem from a complaint filed by Dominic Gambone, 25, who says officers performed a body-cavity search after he was arrested on a traffic charge.
Once the charges are filed, the officers will have a hearing with the chief.
If Police Chief John Mandopoulos decides it is warranted, discipline could range from a verbal reprimand to termination. The officers will continue working until the chief decides if any discipline should be given, officials said.
The chief, who is on vacation, was reached by telephone and said he is not discussing the matter with The Vindicator. The mayor noted that Mandopoulos, who was scheduled to return to work Monday, has decided to extend his vacation.
The chief had previously exonerated the two officers, Tim Parana and Robert Trimble, but his decision was overturned by Fred Harris, safety-service director.
The chief reviewed the complaint and decided Wednesday that it was sustained, Angelo said.
An internal investigation on Gambone's complaint stated that the officers violated the state law. Parana gave a written statement to the internal affairs officer stating that he strip-searches every male he arrests.
Change in policy
"There were mistakes made -- we made mistakes," Angelo said. "We have fixed those mistakes, and a new strip-search policy went into effect July 28. Also the Gambone complaint has showed us that we need more training."
Courts have determined that conducting an illegal strip-search is a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
State law also notes that officers who did not make reports of the strip-search can also face a fourth-degree misdemeanor charge. No report on Gambone's strip search was filed, officials said.
"It is my position that the criminal charge will have to be filed by the victim -- the person that was harmed," said Greg Hicks, city law director. "It is up to the victim in the case to come in and filed a criminal complaint and then we will deal with it like we do any other criminal complaint."
No criminal charges have been filed, Hicks said.
The mayor noted that no administrative action has been taken against the police chief.
Nightclub tape
A videotape shows Mandopoulos and other officers as they stopped May 24 at 77 Soul, a nightspot popular with the black community. A friend of club owner LaShawn Ziegler's taped the chief and patrol officer Manny Nites, who put their faces up to the camera.
"The safety-service director and myself are still conducting a review of the chief's actions that were on a videotape taken in the parking lot of 77 Soul," Angelo said. "We don't know how long it will take."
The chief said he and Nites were joking. Nites can also be heard calling the cameraman a snitch. Nites' actions are being reviewed by the internal affairs department, Angelo said.
sinkovich@vindy.com