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Cuomo to check if state police were used for politics
State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said he will investigate the state police after his office received numerous complaints from public officials about “police interference” in their lives.
Gov. David Paterson asked Cuomo this week to investigate whether state police are improperly targeting state officials after a probe found former Gov. Eliot Spitzer used police to damage Republican Senate Leader Joseph Bruno.
Cuomo said Tuesday his office has received numerous accusations from political leaders about tactics by state police to delve into their backgrounds or interfere in political campaigns.
“The simple truth is that politics and police work don’t mix,” Cuomo said. “Combining politics and police work is a toxic brew, and there is anecdotal evidence there has been political interference in the state police.”
In a letter to Cuomo this week, Paterson said there needs to be a probe to ensure state police resources are not aimed toward damaging the political opponents of people in power.
Cuomo said his office will create a team that will have the power to issue subpoenas and conduct interviews under oath. He did not put a timetable on how long the investigation will last.
Also Tuesday, the state Commission of Investigation said it will examine probes into whether Spitzer aides were conspiring with state police to release travel records that showed Bruno was using state aircraft for political purposes.
The little-known commission, formed in 1951 to investigate the relationship between organized crime and government, said it will not conduct its own investigation on the matter, but will investigate how the other investigations were handled. Four of the six members on the panel were appointed by Republican leaders.
The state Commission on Public Integrity, the Albany County District Attorney, the state Inspector General and the Senate Investigations Committee have also looked at the so-called Troopergate scandal.
A report last week by Albany County District Attorney David Soares found Spitzer was closely involved with aides in the release of documents to the Albany Times Union to show Bruno was illegally using state aircraft to attend political events. Soares initially said in September Spitzer wasn’t involved, after Spitzer denied having any role.
Commission of Investigation Chairman Alfred Lerner said in a statement the goal is to find out how effective were the investigations into the scandal.
“The commission is investigating the investigations,” Lerner said.
Source: Poughkeepsie Journal
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Written by NY Politics · Filed Under News
