What to know
Former Suffolk Police Chief James Burke pleaded not guilty Monday afternoon to charges of public lewdness and indecent exposure. Neither Burke nor his attorney commented as they left court. Burke was arrested Aug. 22 at the Suffolk County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park in Selden, after a law enforcement source told NBC New York that county park rangers set up an undercover operation at the site. Burke led the Suffolk County Police Department, one of the largest police forces in the country, from 2012 to 2015, a tumultuous three-year period that ended with the conviction of Burke and many other officials on federal obstruction and assault charges. .
NEW YORK — A disgraced former Long Island police officer who was arrested in a sex-solicitation sting has pleaded not guilty to the charges he faces.
Former Suffolk Police Chief James Burke pleaded not guilty Monday afternoon to charges of public lewdness and indecent exposure. Neither Burke nor his attorney commented as they left court.
Burke had been arrested on August 22 at the Suffolk County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park in Selden, after a law enforcement source told NBC New York that county park rangers set up an undercover operation at the site. place. He initially faced four charges, including criminal solicitation and offering a sexual act, but both charges were dropped, the county police commissioner confirmed.
It was not immediately clear why those two charges against the 58-year-old man were dropped.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said county park rangers made the arrest at the beginning of an undercover operation in response to complaints about sexual solicitation in the park. The rangers apparently hadn’t noticed, initially arresting the department’s disgraced former chief.
At the time of his arrest, the commissioner said Burke attempted to use his name to avoid arrest and asked officers if they knew who he was.
“He was expressing to us that this would be a public humiliation for him,” said Ranger Sergeant Brian Quattrini.
It is not the first time that the former boss has had problems with the law. He was released from federal prison in 2018 after serving time for beating a handcuffed man who stole a duffel bag from his vehicle and then tried to cover up the assault.
The former boss’s name has resurfaced in recent days following the arrest of alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann. Critics have long claimed that Burke set back the murder investigation by refusing to help the FBI.
Burke led the Suffolk County Police Department, one of the largest police forces in the country, from 2012 to 2015, a tumultuous three-year period that ended with the conviction of Burke and many other officials on federal obstruction and assault charges. .
2023-09-12 01:13:18
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