Richie's Story

While I was going to college full-time, I was also working as a police officer in West New York, NJ. There were rumors around the department that some of the officers were corrupt, that they were involved in gambling and prostitution and were taking bribes from organized crime figures. One night I saw another officer coming out of an illegal gambling hall. I decided to go to the FBI. It was a difficult decision to go to another agency, but I felt that any lower level agencies were either corrupt or too involved in political concerns. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I also knew that I would be risking my career if I took action against the corruption. I was already feeling a lot of peer pressure from the other guys in the department. There was pressure twenty-four hours a day to go along with the other guys no matter what they were doing and not to speak out because youd be ostracized or retaliated against. They might retaliate by desecrating your locker or you might get assignments that were less than desirable or not be able to get the vacation time that you wanted. On the other hand, I knew that I had to do something. The businesses these cops were protecting generated more than 25 million dollars. The other officers had succumbed to temptations and I easily could have too, but I chose not to because of the way I was brought up and the values Id learned from my family. I knew what the other officers were doing was wrong; as police officers, were supposed to set examples, not be thieves and crooks.

I had an interview with the FBI and they were willing to accept and act on my information. We initiated a federal investigation and I set out to gather evidence and data against my fellow police officers to find out who was allegedly giving them bribe money. I worked undercover for eighteen months, accepting bribes and dealing with members of organized crime. I was frightened, especially in the beginning, while working with organized crime figures, but I was also frightened on a lesser scale of the other police officers. They were willing and able to sell their badges to do anything-there were even rumors that they were covering up a murder for someone-so I knew what they were capable of doing if they discovered that I was working against them. When they found out that I was accepting bribes, they saw me as being in competition with them. I was given overt messages not to engage in this kind of activity, not because it was illegal or immoral but because it was cutting in on the business and territory of other cops. Supervisors, for instance, would tell me specifically not to go into certain areas.

Im not sure how the department figured out that I was working undercover against them; I dont know if they knew who I was working for or to what extent I was investigating their activities. What I do know is that after a year and a half I was suspended from the police force for violating departmental rules and regulations. They accused me of violating 50 different rules, but the charges were trumped up; they were brought against me by the chief of police, whom I was investigating on possible racketeering charges. There was a departmental trial and I was fired from my job as a police officer.

I brought a federal civil suit against the department to get my job back. I also went to the FBI, but they didnt offer me any support. They wouldnt even confirm that I had been working with them on the investigation and they did nothing to assist me financially with my legal fees or anything else. I felt betrayed by the government and very disappointed. I realized that I had been naove, but in the process I learned a lot about the system. I learned about police misconduct, about how the police system and the government work, and how selfish individuals can be to promote their own careers.

Shortly after I was fired, the chief of police and twenty five other defendants were arrested at their homes in a corruption scandal. The chief pled guilty and twelve officers were found guilty of various criminal charges. Without me, there would have been no case and no arrests or convictions. I had always thought that the corrupt officers would be arrested, but I had imagined that I would be able to go on with my career and continue to fulfill my obligations as a police officer. After everything had gone down, I thought about everything I had put on the line. But I always felt that I had made the right decision because Ive seen how bad guys flourish in society.

I wanted to tell my story because I think that college students are confronted with similar ethical dilemmas all the time. As kids, were taught values from our families and those values are reinforced in school. We grow up with these standards into adulthood, where were confronted with conflicting norms and forced to make decisions. You still have to do the right thing, no matter what the price is. My decision cost me my job, but I never doubted that it was the right choice. It would be difficult for me to find work as a police officer now, but instead I teach other police officers how to make the right decisions and not succumb to peer pressure. Theres a lot of pressure in the police subculture and officers sometimes feel more loyalty to other officers than to their responsibility to do the right thing. If I had it all to do over again, I would make the same choice. I might try to do things differently, because I wish I hadnt had to risk my own safety and my familys, but thats probably the only way that it could have been done.

Last Modified 12/22/2005