Somehow, some way, the Hoboken Police Department always comes back to make news.

Unit of cops who sued city is disbanded

“Good Morning Hoboken411,

There was a story in today’s paper that I thought this was particularly interesting for several reasons. The five Spanish cops that are suing the city who were on the SWAT team and most recently in the Auto Theft Task Force are pissed because the ATTF unit was disbanded and now they claim it is because of retaliation. You canʼt make this crap up!”

The police unit of five Latino officers who sued the city and their supervisor worked was officially disbanded last week and four of the five officers who filed the lawsuit are back to walking a beat.

Their attorney is crying foul.

Acting Police Chief Robert Lisa confirmed last week he shut down the Auto Theft Task Force since vehicle theft in the city has tailed off. Lisa said he’s removing some officers with good people skills from foot patrol to beef up his new “Community Services Bureau” and replacing them with the former auto task force members.

Luis Zayas, attorney for the Latino officers who have a lawsuit pending in the U.S. District Court said transferring his clients out of the “elite” ATTF unit and into uniformed patrol, “speaks volumes about Hoboken’s intent to retaliate” against his clients.

“They could have chosen to move (my clients) to another department but instead transferred them to uniformed patrol,” Zayas said. “It is a less prestigious assignment and I do not think it is a coincidence.”

Lisa insists the pending lawsuit played no role in his decision-making. In a lawsuit filed in October, the Latino cops allege their former leader, Lt. Angelo Andriani - who was more famous for leading the SWAT team - was an “unabashed white supremacist” who created a discriminatory and hostile work environment for members of both teams.

“The real reason the unit was disbanded was because the unit was ineffective and did little or no police work. In fact auto theft and auto break-ins doubled or tripled since these guys were in the unit. This only shows that either these cops are so incompetent they cannot address crime problems in the city, or are so vindictive that they just show up for work and collect a check while habitually complaining about their assignments claiming retaliation.

Either way they had a no show gig in the SWAT Team for almost years and got paid to do absolutely nothing and still feel entitled to do nothing. By their attorneys own words, they do not feel they should be doing any police work or patrol. If that is the case, let them RESIGN! This rings true considering I saw Officer Olavarria yesterday ineffectively deal with a nut on Washington Street and let the guy go who only returned seconds later and was still completely violent and out of control!”

Does this sound like “retaliation” or just “smart departmental management” to you?

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