ROCHESTER, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 03: Lovely A. Warren, mayor of Rochester, speaks during a press conference on the death of Daniel Prude on September 03, 2020 in Rochester, New York. Daniel Prude died after being arrested on March 23, by Rochester police officers who had placed a “spit hood” over his head and pinned him to the ground while restraining him. Mayor Warren announced today the suspension of seven officers involved in the arrest. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 10:20 AM PT – Saturday, December 19, 2020
Rochester Police Department’s former chief claims he was fired for refusing to lie for Democrat Mayor Lovely Warren. He is now suing the city.
In a notice of claim filed on Wednesday, La’Ron Singletary said Warren asked him multiple times to lie or withhold information from the city council’s investigation into the death of Daniel Prude.
In March, Prude died following an encounter with police. However, news of his death was only made public in September, two weeks before Singletary left the department.
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 03: Hasan Massey Jr., 11, kneels in prayer at a make shift memorial at the site where Daniel Prude was arrested on September 03, 2020 in Rochester, New York. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
According to Singletary, Warren tried to protect her image regarding her knowledge of the events leading up to Prude’s arrest and death.
Warren maintained she didn’t see the bodycam footage of Prude’s arrest until August 4. She also claimed she never knew more about the matter than what she told the public.
However, the city’s Office of Public Integrity found that Singletary texted Warren about the case on April 10.
“This happened at the end of March and the mayor doesn’t see the video until August?” questioned Prude family attorney Don Thompson. “Well, something went wrong.”‘
Yet, the Office of Public Integrity concluded there was no evidence that any city employee violated departmental policies or ethical standards when it came to Prude’s case.
In regards to the investigation, Singletary said he was pressured by Warren and other city officials to lie, which is something he repeatedly refused to do.
The former police chief stated officials attacked his reputation and in turn, the department became a hostile work environment. On September 8, he announced his resignation to go into effect on September 29.
Warren seemingly had other plans. On September 14, she announced that she was opening an investigation into Prude’s death. She also added it would be Singletary’s last day at the department, which he believes was in retaliation for not following her orders. He cited this in his suit against the city.
MORE NEWS: Congress Holds Saturday Session For COVID Relief, Gov’t Funding
Be the first to comment