West Springfield detective reassigned following internal investigation into misconduct
Detective Andrew Carney from the West Springfield Police Department has been reassigned to the uniform division after an internal investigation regarding possible violations of the department's policy and procedures.
The situation dates back to the arrest of Antonio and Franco Fusco in December of 2023. The West Springfield Police spearheaded a multi-agency operation that led to a significant gun and drug seizure.
Authorities seized over $100,000 worth of fentanyl and cocaine and an estimated half a million dollars worth of firearms and firearm accessories. all of which were filed into evidence.
But court documents filed this week in the Fusco case revealed that then-detective Andrew Carney held onto items from the search warrant, that were never booked into evidence. Including baseball cards from a safe in the Fusco residence and a scope.
The baseball cards were found under Carney's desk and he allegedly used the scope in an unrelated investigation on at least one occasion.
Carney was handed a letter notifying him of the internal investigation and the findings that he violated two department policies.
The two policies relate to the collection and preservation of evidence as well as property and evidence control
West Springfield Chief Jay Gearing said the West Springfield Police dealt with their situation quickly and decisively with 'retraining, reassignment, and a one-day suspension.'
This isn't the first time Carney has been accused of misconduct.
In 2015, Northampton Police found sustained allegations that Carney engaged in criminal conduct when he served as an officer in the city.
Defense attorney Daniel Kelly said in the affidavit, that both misconduct situations with Mr. Carney challenge the truthfulness in the investigation. He's subpoenaed additional information before motion and trial phases begin.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
23-07-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
We'll hold Mark Carney accountable on bail reform, premiers warn
HUNTSVILLE, Ont. — Premiers from across the political spectrum are vowing to hold Prime Minister Mark Carney's feet to the fire on tougher bail rules for anyone charged with violent crimes like home invasions. Provincial leaders wrapped up their annual meeting Wednesday with notes of caution — and points of looming tension — on bail reform , immigration, asylum-seekers and health-care funding for Carney, who has enjoyed a glowing relationship with them amid an escalating trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump. Federal bail reform legislation is expected this fall. 'We talked about the need for real bail reform that keeps criminals behind bars and keeps our communities safe,' said Premier Doug Ford, who has chaired the premiers' Council of the Federation for the last year and passes the role to P.E.I Premier Rob Lantz on Aug. 1. 'Prime Minister Carney has made it clear in his comments to premiers, and we'll be holding him accountable,' added Ford, who freed up a bedroom for the PM at his cottage south of Huntsville on Monday night after a dinner with the premiers and a private chat in front of a roaring fire. 'We want full-fledged bail reform and I'd love to see mandatory sentencing so when someone breaks into your home, puts a gun to your head, terrorizes your neighbourhood, (he) doesn't get out on bail after being out on bail five times,' said the Progressive Conservative premier, who repeatedly blamed 'weak-kneed judges.' New Brunswick's Susan Holt, a Liberal, agreed on the importance of tougher restrictions on bail for 'people who do bad things' and David Eby, NDP premier of British Columbia, voiced support for a crackdown as well. 'I want to make sure intimate partner violence is a part of his (Carney's) considerations around bail reform,' Eby told reporters, calling for GPS tracking 'so that the victim is able to identify if the person is coming close to them.' In a first for the council formed in 2003, a prime minister joined the premiers at Deerhurst Resort to convene a first ministers' meeting Tuesday touching on issues of concern, while downplaying expectations for a trade deal with the U.S. by Trump's Aug. 1 deadline. 'There's a real desire to support each other, to learn from each other, and to work with the federal government that is showing a desire for collaboration and partnership that I don't think we've seen for a while,' said Holt. She told Ford that a steelmaker in New Brunswick produces I-beams for construction — something he didn't know was available from a domestic supplier as all premiers are looking for more opportunities to buy Canadian in the rush toward 'nation-building' infrastructure projects. The premiers also committed to erasing most interprovincial trade and labour mobility barriers by December, making it easier and cheaper for consumers and workers in one part of the country to buy products from or get jobs in other provinces. On the shrinking prospects of a trade deal before the deadline, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said it appears the U.S. is looking to do more sectoral agreements in areas such as automobiles and aluminum before fully renegotiating the Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade agreement, which Trump is now breaking with his tariffs on steel and aluminum. 'If we can come up with some kind of common agreement on those issues, those sectoral agreements, by Aug. 1, we'll look at that as a win,' she said. Quebec Premier François Legault praised the gathering with Carney as a way of speeding up national consensus-building at a critical time, with Canada's economy expected to slow and more jobs to be lost because of Trump's tariffs. 'We were lucky to have a two-for-one,' Legault said in French before making it clear he's pleased other premiers share his province's concerns about a lack of provincial control over immigration and asylum-seekers, increasing pressure on Carney. 'You're used to hearing Quebec demanding full powers over immigration and what I heard today is this is pretty much a unanimous demand of all the provinces,' Legault said in French. Ford said the problem is asylum-seekers waiting too long — sometimes two years — for federal work permits, with provinces footing the tab for their accommodations, education and health care in the meantime. 'It's costing our province an absolute fortune,' he said. Accordingly, Ford added, premiers have agreed to use their authority under Section 95 of the Constitution to issue their own work permits, citing overlap between federal and provincial powers. 'I'm not waiting any longer,' he said firmly. It was not immediately clear how provincial permits could legally bypass the federal asylum claims approval process, but a source in the premier's office told the Star provincial legislation is likely required. Ontario's legislature is not scheduled to return until Oct. 20. Despite the focus on trade, health-care funding from the federal government was another hot topic for the premiers as costs rise with a growing and aging population, the higher costs of new technologies and more breakthrough drugs targeted at specific and rare diseases. The percentage of federal funding has been on the decline, said Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, calling for more flexibility in how money is spent. 'Things are very different in the territories versus the Prairies versus Atlantic Canada versus some of our more populated provinces, like British Columbia, Ontario or Quebec,' he said. Ford complained Ontario is paying an 'unfair' share into the federal equalization program, sending $26 billion more to Ottawa than it gets back.
Axios
27-06-2025
- Axios
San Francisco's Pink Triangle is more than a Pride symbol
What began as a mark of hate now stands tall above San Francisco as a beacon of pride. State of play: For three decades, the Pink Triangle has adorned Twin Peaks every June in recognition of the persecution of LGBTQ+ people under the Nazi regime. The big picture: During World War II, the symbol was used to label gay prisoners in concentration camps — one of several color-coded patches sewn onto uniforms to publicly mark and shame inmates. Flashback: Activists reclaimed the marking as an emblem of pride and protest amid the AIDS crisis, most famously with ACT UP's " Silence = Death" posters challenging stigma and government inaction. The symbol first appeared on Twin Peaks in 1996, installed at night at just 60 feet wide. Today, it spans 240 feet. What they're saying: Patrick Carney, who co-founded the Friends of the Pink Triangle, told Axios it serves as a "warning and a reminder" and a "giant in-your-face educational tool to teach people where hatred can lead." The latest: Earlier this month, police arrested a 19-year-old on suspicion of vandalizing the installation, which Carney said would not be repaired. The bottom line: "Leaving it as it is sends a powerful message… we will wear this scar as a badge of resilience, courage and our continuing struggle for equality," he said.
Miami Herald
18-06-2025
- Miami Herald
San Francisco's Pink Triangle, symbol of LGBTQ+ rights and Nazi persecution, is vandalized
LOS ANGELES - San Francisco police have arrested a man accused of defacing the famed Pink Triangle, a symbol of LGBTQ+ rights that is installed annually during Pride Month on top of the city's landmark Twin Peaks. Police arrested the suspect after receiving a report around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday of someone vandalizing portions of the dozens of pieces of pink canvas that comprise the triangle. "Officers pursued the male suspect on foot and detained him," the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement. The suspect was arrested and identified as Lester Bamacajeronimo, 19, of San Francisco. "Evidence of vandalism tools were located and seized. Charges are pending," the statement said. "This vandalism is unacceptable in our city and the San Francisco Police Department condemns this act," the police statement said. "San Francisco's Pink Triangle is a powerful symbol of our city's commitment to supporting LGBT rights and commemorates victims of the past." The founder of the triangle project, Patrick Carney, told KRON-TV that the vandal spray-painted the triangle in lines "that go back and forth. ... It damaged 26 of the tarps." Carney said a quick solution would likely involve getting some pink paint to cover up the vandalism. "However, that's a temporary fix, and we'll still have to throw those tarps away," Carney told the news outlet. Carney also told KRON-TV that anti-transgender stickers had been popping up near the triangle, and he and other community members have responded by covering them up with tape or scratching them out. Carney and local officials celebrated the Pink Triangle's 30th annual installation this year, which is held atop Twin Peaks - the second- and third-highest peaks in San Francisco. The giant installation can be seen across the city's downtown, viewable from Market Street and the Castro District. The triangle covers about one acre, and is made up of 175 tarps. It has been vandalized before, with "several pink canvas tarp pieces" having been set on fire, the Pink Triangle's website says. The 2009 incident involved vandals burning the center of the Pink Triangle, Carney told KGO-TV. It has also been graffitied a couple of times in the past, he told the TV station. The Pink Triangle is "a tradition that transforms Twin Peaks into a beacon of pride for all of San Francisco," Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a social media post after speaking at the unveiling of the triangle earlier this month. The Pink Triangle, according to the installation's website, commemorates "gay victims who were persecuted and killed in concentration camps in Nazi Germany." According to the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, "upwards of 15,000 gay men were sent to Nazi concentration camps" and "forced to wear a pink inverted triangle on their uniforms." They were singled out for even more extreme persecution. "Sadly, 60% of gay men sent to concentration camps were killed." The pink triangle has since been reclaimed in the LGBTQ+ community and "serves as a reminder that we cannot allow history to repeat itself," the center said. On Tuesday, the mayor condemned the vandalism. "This hateful act of vandalism does not reflect San Francisco's values and will not be tolerated," Lurie said on social media. State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, called the vandalism a "horrific attack on the LGBTQ community." "The Pink Triangle is a symbol of our community's resilience in the face of hatred and violence," Wiener said in a statement. "We're not going anywhere, and no amount of vandalism or violence will change that. "I'm so grateful for the many volunteers who make the Pink Triangle each year. Nothing will stop this community's spirit, and I'm confident the Pink Triangle will be repaired and back in order quickly," Wiener added. The Pink Triangle will remain on display until June 29. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
