Threatening Town Employees: Abuse of Authority
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In July of 2005, Vecchi had a verbal altercation with another Plymouth Town
employee supervising the security gate to Long Beach. Apparently, other town workers
checking beach access stickers and guest passes had earlier encountered several off-duty
Plymouth Police officers who did not have stickers nor guest passes, but were attempting
to gain access to the 4x4 cross-over in order to attend a party at a friend's house. After
initially denying them access, the workers relented and let them through due to their
perceived authority as police officers. Apparently, one of the off-duty officers contacted
Sergeant Vecchi, who had been on duty, and who responded to the Long Beach security
gate in a Department 4x4 vehicle (Car #22). The security supervisor alleged that Vecchi
used his authority as a police supervisor and made a veiled threat that he (the supervisor)
should "straighten out" [his] "cross-over crew" for giving "my [Vecchi's] guys" a hard
time gaining access to the beach. Vecchi allegedly told the supervisor that they [the beach
security staff] "should not be making ripples unless you want to get splashed back."
Vecchi allegedly went on to insinuate that he [Vecchi] had witnessed some "town
employees smoking herb and drinking" but [he] "had looked the other way."
The beach supervisor reported the incident to the Plymouth Police Department
resulting in an Internal Affairs investigation. In response, Vecchi denied making any
threats and denied ever having overlooked any criminal activity, or even making those
statements to the supervisor. Following a thorough Internal Affairs investigation
including the taking of statements from all those involved, the Complaint was
"sustained" against Vecchi.
Though nothing within the documents produced by the Plymouth Police
Department indicate exactly what policy, rule or regulation Vecchi violated, it appears
obvious that he was in clear violation of Massachusetts State Ethics laws, in particular
Massachusetts General Laws chapter 268A, section 2(b)(2)(ii), et seq, for Abuse of
Authority and Conflict of Interest in using his official authority to gain a privilege or
something of value for himself or others, that similarly situated persons would not be
entitled to. A more detailed explanation of that statute, as well the penalties for violations
thereof (section 26 of GL c. 268A), is to follow (Incident #: 16627, lA#: 05-023,
Incident Date: July 13,2005).
More recently, Vecchi's co-workers have reported that he had been systematically harassing a young, male
civilian employee at the Department, creating a hostile work environment and forcing the young man to leave
the Department and seek employment elsewhere. According to more than one source, Vecchi would regularly call the young
man a "retard". Apparently, Vecchi's supervisors failed to take any remedial steps to stop the harassment of
his subordinate, civilian co-worker. Such abusive and offensive conduct could have cost the Department and
the Town of Plymouth a significant award for damages in a civil court, or at the Massachusetts Commission
Against Discrimination (MCAD).
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Directed a Falsified Report, Lied, then Blamed a Subordinate Officer »
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