Det. Sgt. Robert Reecks served 13 years as head of Suffolk County's hate crimes unit. But he says that since the election in 2004 of nativist Steve Levy as Suffolk County Executive, that his "ability to do that job" had become compromised by the administration. The most recent example followed the alleged doctoring of a hate crimes report by Levy's office. Last week, Reecks was removed as head of Suffolk County’s Hate Crimes Unit.
Newsday’s Joye Brown interviewed Reecks. Below are excerpts:
The change began, he said, soon after Levy won the county’s top elected position in 2004 – riding a local tide of anger against illegal immigration.
“They came in and they started to shut it down...all of a sudden it was, no, you are not doing that, no, that is not a hate crime,” said Reecks.
Levy’s office killed or altered news releases designed to aid the division’s investigations, Reecks said.
Over time, every draft public communication from the division was routed to Levy’s office...where, Reecks said, often they were sanitized of such language as “hate crimes.”
Reecks said that the choke on communications, however, directly affected the division’s ability to close cases.Nearly three years later, Reecks said he was third on the list of interviews when the U.S. Justice Department stepped in last year to begin its ongoing investigation into the county’s handling of hate crime complaints.
He said county officials were upset that he wanted to speak with investigators alone – which he ultimately did. It was during that interview, Reecks said, that he asked flippantly whether the police department might punish him for speaking to federal investigators. The investigators’ response, said Reecks: Let us know if that happens.
Reecks said he left the task force after being called to account by his superiors for comments he made during two task force meetings.
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A Pima County jury convicted Shawna Forde today of two counts of first-degree murder in the May 30, 2009 deaths of Arivaca residents Raul Junior Flores and his 9-year-old daughter, Brisenia
Shawna Forde was founder and executive director of Minuteman American Defense ( MAD ) - There was never in History a better acronym for an organization.
Arizona Daily Star
Border killing garnered national attention
Forde convicted in killing of Arivaca man, daughter
By Kim Smith
February 14, 2011
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_6ae561fe-386c-11e0-9555-001cc4c002e0.html
Some excerpts :
The jury also convicted Forde of attempted first-degree murder in the shooting of Flores' wife, Gina Gonzalez, as well as related aggravated assault and robbery counts.
Gonzlez started crying as soon as the first guilty verdict, the killing of her daughter, was read just before noon in a packed courtroom at Pima County Superior Court.
The jury deliberated for seven hours over two days. Jurors will now be asked if the death penalty ought to be considered.
On the first day of the trial, which has gained national attention, Gonzalez testified her husband woke her to say the police were at the door. The woman at the door identified herself and the man with her as law enforcement officers looking for fugitives, Gonzalez said.
When her husband questioned the veracity of their story, Gonzalez said the gunman opened fire, shooting her husband and Gonzalez. As Gonzalez played dead on the floor, the gunman fired two bullets into their youngest daughter's head, despite the little girl's pleas.
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