Attorney Calls Borough’s Treatment of Bristol Officer ‘Appalling’

Part 2 of 3:  Through the course of interviewing Attorney Louis Hornstine about the events surrounding Bristol Officer Ritchie Webb’s 12 week suspension and the “unfounded” allegations made against him by two Bristol Borough officers, they lawyer also discussed the circumstances surrounding the Loudermill hearing that led to the department placing a letter in Webb’s file for “conduct unbecoming an officer.”
Two weeks prior to meeting with Hornstine, LevittownNow.com came into possession of a memo penned by then-Mayor Joe Saxton from June 2004. In part, the memo, distributed to borough police chief Arnold Porter and personnel, arose out of a policy put into place by Bristol for its employees to specifically deal with police department policy and procedures.

“Police employees at any time during the employment or afterward are prohibited from disclosing to any person any information as to the business to the business, dealings , practices, procedures or any other information deemed sensitive to the operation of the police department…any breach of this policy upon termination of employment with the police department may result in legal action being taken”

Hornstine contends this policy is where  the trouble for Webb begins, saying he couldn’t  take his complaints of “harassment” outside the department, and if he did Webb risked termination, according to court documents.

Webb had  three contacts with attorney Christopher Gerber, who represented the borough in Cipressi case. He allegedly attempted to persuade Webb to change his testimony about what had heard and saw the night came time to be deposed by the victim’s lawyers, according to court records.

Webb told Gerber, “I’m not lying for anyone,” according to court records.

Four days before Webb was subpoenaed to testify at a deposition in Cipressi’s  civil case against the borough and Officer Sam Anderson, allegations were made by two Bristol officers, Dean Johnson and Marie Robles. The allegations falsely accused Webb of threatening to “shoot someone,” court records show.

Webb was suspended for 12 weeks and was subsequently cleared by  Bucks County Detectives, who called the officers’ claims against Webb “unfounded,” according to court documents.

Hornstine at the time wasn’t representing the patrolman, yet “as the facts of the matter became clear to me,” something wasn’t right with these allegations he said.

“My feeling at time was this was overkill and nothing more than retaliation against Patrolman Webb when in fact Sgt. William Lutz, a longtime respected credible sergeant of the police department, indicated (in a report to borough officials) there was no wrongdoing compounded by the investigation of the Bucks County DA that cleared him there was absolutely no reason for a Loudermill hearing thereafter,” he said.

According to Hornstine, in the historic annals of the Bristol Borough police department, there had never been such a hearing.

That administrative hearing took place on June 9, 2011 at the borough municipal building with Mayor Bob Lebo, Potter, Lutz and Webb attending, as well as a court reporter.

Officers Johnson and Robles did not testify, Lutz the retired Sergeant said on Wednesday morning.

When asked why the  officers didn’t face administrative recourse for making false allegations against a fellow officer, Lutz said, “that’s a very good question.”

Johnson is still with active department, however, Robles according to a Right-to-Know request received Monday, resigned from Bristol police  on July 24, ten days before Hornstine met with Salerno and Lebo in Bristol. She went on to join the Philadelphia Police Department for a short time and is no longer employed there.

The mystery of surrounding the Loudermill hearing and the testimony given because of the confidentiality memo remained.

“The two hearing officers, Potter and Lebo, indicated there was no transcripts. There was  no court reporter,” Hornstine said, adding he was “shocked at I what I found. It was a shame”

Webb and Lutz, who confirmed  Wednesday for LevittownNow.com, told Hornstine there was in fact court reporter and through “due diligence” the transcriber was located  in January of 2013 transcripts in hand.

Which begs the question, why Porter and Lebo would say a reporter wasn’t present for the hearing.

Lutz, who served for with Bristol’s police department for 27 years, said today that his report to Lebo was from the start in terms of the allegations made by Johnson and Robles.

“It was my observation nothing happened and there allegations proved to be baseless.”

Hornstine said  the conduct of the borough in an attempt to discredit an officer in “good standing” and was “appalling.”

It was shortly thereafter the August “Safe Passage” meeting Hornstine called for was held in Salerno’s Bristol office where Webb sought “peace in the workplace.”

One has to ask following question. Why was so much effort and energy exerted to protect a convicted cop?

LevittownNow.com Publisher/Editor Tom Sofield contributed to this report.

Part Three will be published on Friday at 5 p.m.