Crime & Safety

Warrant Cites Fired Officer's Poor Procedure, Questionable Actions

The arrest warrant for former Suffield police officer Jeremy DiPietro describes the reasons leading to his arrest and dismissal from the department.

The recent dismissal and arrest of a Suffield police officer accused of evidence tampering and larceny came about after a thorough internal investigation, according to Suffield Police Chief Mike Manzi.

Jeremy DePietro was dismissed from the by decision of the Suffield Police Commission on May 9 and arrested on May 11 following the issue of a warrant by the Enfield Superior Court. The charges against him stem from the discovery of money missing from an evidence bag, evidence that was seized in an arrest made by DiPietro and two other officers on March 3, 2011.

“These are regrettable incidents that rarely occur in police departments,” Manzi said. “But you have to take action on these incidents. We have a job to do and we do our job. We have a commitment to our community.”

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The warrant cites DiPietro’s “evasive” responses to questions about his handling of the evidence and questions why he repeatedly re-entered the station’s temporary evidence room after the arrest.

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The warrant also mentions the “irresponsible” manner in which DiPietro recorded the evidence by not following proper police procedure. All other evidence in storage at the time the incident was being investigated, including evidence from other cases placed there by DiPietro, was correctly identified.

The warrant also describes how Suffield police established a chain of custody specifically linking DiPietro to the evidence.

Manzi pointed out that the arrest and dismissal were separate events – the arrest was based on criminal charges while the dismissal was based on internal violations.

First Selectman Ed McAnaney was satisfied by how Suffield police conducted the investigation.

“We have to be able to rely on our police officers to uphold the law,” he said.

McAnaney supported the department’s handling of the issue, noting that the investigation was sound and methodical and followed proper procedure.

“It was a professional investigation,” McAnaney said.

In the course of responding to a medical emergency call at a Suffield apartment, DiPietro and two other officers “had reason to believe that drugs were involved and eventually developed probable cause” to search the apartment, the warrant said. The officers found various narcotics and paraphernalia along with $332 in cash, Manzi said.

According to DiPietro’s arrest warrant, the former officer documented, photographed and then transported evidence related to the March 3, 2011 arrest to the Suffield Police Department.

Following the resolution of the case related to that arrest, a court order to destroy the drugs and place the seized funds into the court’s general fund was issued. Detective Mark Sargent, Suffield’s evidence control officer, brought the sealed evidence bag, bearing a form with DiPietro’s signature, to the court on Nov. 2, 2011. But a court clerk noted that only $212 of the previously recorded $332 was present and said the court could not accept the funds.

The ensuing internal investigation led to Manzi requesting an arrest warrant for DiPietro and, along with other officers, providing testimony to the police commission about the incident.


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