By Martin B. Cassidy
Staff Writer
December 29, 2007
Police will conduct an internal affairs investigation into a
complaint by a Byram merchant and town legislator who alleged
yesterday four officers illegally targeted his North Water Street
flower and gift shop Thursday evening to stifle him from
criticizing them on a local radio program.
Brian Harrod, 46, of 161 North Water St., filed a one- page
complaint yesterday morning and said four officers entered and
searched the floral shop in the building where he lives around 6
p.m. Thursday and searched it after he called police twice to
ticket an illegally parked car outside the store.
Greenwich Police Capt. Michael Pacewicz said the department had
received the complaint from Harrod and that it would be
investigated and the officers disciplined if warranted.
Harrod said he believed the police visit to the store was
suspiciously timed because it came hours after he posted on his
blog that later in the day he would call "Greenwich
Matters," a WGCH call-in show hosted by Sam Romeo that airs
from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays, to complain about police
coverage of Byram.
"It's just not kosher to use selective enforcement tactics
because of somebody exercising their First Amendment
rights," said Harrod, a District 4/Byram Representative Town
Meeting of Greenwich delegate elected this fall. "You don't
come after a store because of free speech."
Pacewicz said an officer went into Harrod's store around 6 p.m.
after ticketing the car to investigate "going out of
business" sale signs displayed by Harrod for an extended
period.
The police report indicated the officer decided to talk to Harrod
about his previous concerns since the parking complaint had
brought him to the neighborhood, Pacewicz said.
The duration and conduct of going out of business sales are
regulated by law, Pacewicz said, and state and local permits are
required because unscrupulous operators exploit them as an
emotional ploy to lure bargain seekers into their stores on false
pretenses.
The officer had observed going out of business signs at Harrod's
store over almost a year, Pacewicz said.
Police did not cite Harrod for any violations, but will consult
with the state Department of Consumer Protection to determine if
Harrod is breaking the law, Pacewicz said.
"As we do with all complaints, we will look at this one
individually and investigate it appropriately," Pacewicz
said.
Pacewicz said he had yet to determine the number of officers on
the scene, but that a supervisor was called by the first officer
on the scene to determine how to ticket Harrod for the signs.
While he said he was not dismissing Harrod's belief in a police
animus against him, Pacewicz said police summon supervisors if
they are unsure what charges to lodge or infractions to issue.
Queries about signs that are regulated by law is a regular part
of police work in Greenwich, Pacewicz said.
"I don't know all the circumstances. The officer inquired
whether Harrod had the proper permits and had seen the sale signs
there on an ongoing basis," Pacewicz said. "There are
things police officers observe over a period of time that they
follow up for investigation. That's good police work."
In his blog, Harrod criticizes police and other town agencies for
allegedly overlooking Byram's needs and police know him firsthand
from his ongoing complaints about illegally parked cars on North
Water Street and other nuisances such as a drunk who sits in a
parked car tippling all day, Harrod said.
One entry dated Thursday on Harrod's blog at
greenwichroundup.blogspot.com praises rank and file officers, but
said a lack of supervision hurts enforcement.
"I personally believe that there are many outstanding
officers in the Greenwich Police Department, but the management
of those officers is a joke," Harrod writes. "Windows
get smashed, tires get slashed, mirrors get knocked off cars,
while the Byram police officer just sits on US1 looking for
broken taillights on cars."
Harrod goes on to say he will call "Greenwich Matters"
Thursday night.
"Tonight, I am going to call Sam Romeo again and complain
about the poorly managed police officers who are responsible for
patrolling Byram," Harrod writes. "I am especially
going to complain about the 4 to Midnight shift when most of the
vandalism occurs."
The same day, Harrod had a blog entry ridiculing Greenwich Police
Chief David Ridberg for appearing too sensitive on WGCH when
discussing the Andrew M. Kissel murder investigation.
Ridberg said this week that investigators in the case had never
publicly said they believed that Kissel hired his own killer, a
theory which Lindy Urso, an attorney representing a potential
suspect, said police have focused on.
"Thin-skinned Police Chief David Ridberg is all over the
WGCH airwaves attacking attorney Lindy Urso for questioning
police tactics and suggesting that Greenwich Police might want to
pursue other leads," Harrod wrote.
Pacewicz said he did not know about the blog.
According to Harrod, the officers entered the store and indicated
the illegally parked car had been ticketed, and they were now
concerned about the various signs Harrod was displaying.
Harrod said one officer told Harrod he was "the pot calling
the kettle black" to report the parking problem while
displaying the signs, Harrod said.
Harrod removed the "going out of business" style signs
displayed at the store when police asked him to, Harrod said.
During the incident, police walked uninvited into non-public
areas of the store, including a rear storage room and behind the
counter, Harrod said. They did not open drawers or boxes during
the search, he said.
"I believe in a coincidence as much as the next
person," Harrod said. "If a policeman just so happened
to notice my signs, there wouldn't be four policemen in my store.
They would have just written me a ticket or arrested me."
Copyright © 2007, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.