NY Police Officer Claims Retaliation For Arresting Assistant Fire Chief

Posted by: Curt Varone June 27, 2016 1 Comment

A New York police officer who was terminated last month, has filed a wrongful termination suit alleging he was dismissed in retaliation for his having arrested two well-connected men, including an assistant fire chief

Garrett Lake was fired by the Southhold Police Department on May 19, 2016, just four days before his one-year probationary period was due to end. He filed suit in New York Supreme Court for Suffolk County on June 10, 2016 accusing the town of firing him in bad-faith.

Lake claims that the town’s actions were retaliation for his arrest of Jamesport Fire Department Assistant Chief David McKillop and Steven Romeo, a limo driver with political connections. Both Chief McKillop and Romeo were charged with DWI.

Chief McKillop was involved in an accident with a department vehicle and reportedly left the scene. Lake was able to locate the heavily damaged vehicle and charged Chief McKillop with leaving the scene of an accident and DWI.

Lake charged Romeo with DWI following an accident that claimed the lives of four young women. The complaint alleges that Romeo has close ties to the vice chairman of the town’s republican committee and a high-ranking Suffolk County Police Department official.

Lake claims the town “bowed to political pressure” from three sources: the Jamesport Fire District commissioners, the vice chairman of the Southold Republican Committee; and a high-ranking official in the Suffolk County Police Department.

More on the story.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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