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Syracuse, NY - District Attorney William Fitzpatrick today accused Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler and Deputy Chief Sean Broton of criminally "leaking" a witness affidavit in the Bernie Fine case in an effort to embarrass the prosecutor's office.
"This should frighten every person in the city of Syracuse," Fitzpatrick said. He went on to accuse Fowler of implementing new procedures restricting prosecution access to all reports in the possession of police and to suggest police officials may be responsible for the vandalism of one of his investigator's cars.
"You do not have a police chief. You have a fiefdom," Fitzpatrick angrily claimed in a late morning press conference in his office.
The DA said he believes the police actions aimed at his office are designed "to deflect attention from what they did or didn't do in 2002" when former Syracuse University ball boy Bobby Davis claims he first reported to police that he had been molested by Fine, the SU associate basketball coach.
» Complete coverage of the Bernie Fine investigation
Fitzpatrick called on Mayor Stephanie Miner to get some answers about how the Fine case witness' statement was leaked to The Post-Standard for a story in today's newspaper when the mayor announced Monday that there would be no piecemeal release of information to anyone until the police investigation was completed.
Because the matter involves a grand jury investigation, Fitzpatrick said the leaking of the witness' statement is a Class E felony. While he said he did not expect the newspaper would voluntarily reveal where the statement came from, he said he has the power to issue subpoenas to get to the bottom of that as part of the Fine investigation his office is conducting.
Fitzpatrick said he has had numerous conversations with Miner about his office's problems with Fowler for a couple of years, but he has never gone so far as to call for Fowler's firing. He stopped short of that again today.
But his criticism of the chief was bitter.
"These are paybacks of a juvenile mind, somebody who really doesn't belong in law enforcement," Fitzpatrick said.
"You think I'm going to stand for this?" he asked angrily. "You think I'm going to allow this emperor to think he's going to undermine public safety?"
Fitzpatrick accused Fowler and Broton of "intentionally trying to sabotage" his office's proper investigation of the Fine matter. That includes both Davis' allegations of being molested and what police did or didn't do about those allegations when they were reported to police in 2002, he said.
"I will do that with or without Frank Fowler. He is irrelevant to me," Fitzpatrick said.
Syracuse, NY - District Attorney William Fitzpatrick today accused Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler and Deputy Chief Sean Broton of criminally "leaking" a witness affidavit in the Bernie Fine case in an effort to embarrass the prosecutor's office.
"This should frighten every person in the city of Syracuse," Fitzpatrick said. He went on to accuse Fowler of implementing new procedures restricting prosecution access to all reports in the possession of police and to suggest police officials may be responsible for the vandalism of one of his investigator's cars.
"You do not have a police chief. You have a fiefdom," Fitzpatrick angrily claimed in a late morning press conference in his office.
The DA said he believes the police actions aimed at his office are designed "to deflect attention from what they did or didn't do in 2002" when former Syracuse University ball boy Bobby Davis claims he first reported to police that he had been molested by Fine, the SU associate basketball coach.
» Complete coverage of the Bernie Fine investigation
Fitzpatrick called on Mayor Stephanie Miner to get some answers about how the Fine case witness' statement was leaked to The Post-Standard for a story in today's newspaper when the mayor announced Monday that there would be no piecemeal release of information to anyone until the police investigation was completed.
Because the matter involves a grand jury investigation, Fitzpatrick said the leaking of the witness' statement is a Class E felony. While he said he did not expect the newspaper would voluntarily reveal where the statement came from, he said he has the power to issue subpoenas to get to the bottom of that as part of the Fine investigation his office is conducting.
Fitzpatrick said he has had numerous conversations with Miner about his office's problems with Fowler for a couple of years, but he has never gone so far as to call for Fowler's firing. He stopped short of that again today.
But his criticism of the chief was bitter.
"These are paybacks of a juvenile mind, somebody who really doesn't belong in law enforcement," Fitzpatrick said.
"You think I'm going to stand for this?" he asked angrily. "You think I'm going to allow this emperor to think he's going to undermine public safety?"
Fitzpatrick accused Fowler and Broton of "intentionally trying to sabotage" his office's proper investigation of the Fine matter. That includes both Davis' allegations of being molested and what police did or didn't do about those allegations when they were reported to police in 2002, he said.
"I will do that with or without Frank Fowler. He is irrelevant to me," Fitzpatrick said.
