Police Department Internal Affairs investigators are still looking into two alleged incidents of officer misconduct on St. Croix.
In the more recent of the cases, an unidentified off-duty officer allegedly pointed his service weapon at the face of Kevin Sealey on Monday, then hit him several times.
Both the Internal Affairs unit and the Criminal Investigations Bureau are looking into the allegations, according to St. Croix Deputy Police Chief Novelle Francis.
Because of the allegations of assault, Francis said, the matter is being "looked at as a criminal matter." He added, "We should be seeing some movement on that in the near future."
Francis said the accused officer has been on leave due to health problems. "As a matter of fact, he’s in the hospital now from injuries sustained in a car accident," the deputy chief said.
In the other case, stemming from an epithet-laced rock- and bottle-throwing incident at the Cormorant Beach Resort on April 9, an Internal Affairs investigation is proceeding to determine whether officers neglected to take action, Francis said.
According to Cormorant president Arthur Mayer, who was hit by a bottle and is white, police responding to the resort manager’s call for assistance greeted the alleged assailants, who were black, with "West Indian handshakes" and did little else. Mayer is claiming that his civil rights were violated because of police inaction.
Francis said Internal Affairs investigators have interviewed witnesses and the officers involved in the matter, but they have yet to file "a determination or recommendation to my office." He added that there is a set timeline for such inquiries to be completed.
The St. Croix internal investigations are taking place concurrently with others on St. Thomas and St. John.
On March 28, an on-duty officer and a motorist were involved in a heated verbal exchange and an alleged physical confrontation on the St. Thomas waterfront. A subsequent investigation by the officer’s superior found that no assault occurred but recommend that the officer be reprimanded.
On March 18, an off-duty officer on St. John reportedly grabbed a resident by the breast, slammed her against a car repeatedly and attempted to cut off her screams by choking her. The alleged assault reportedly took place after the policeman stepped into a dispute between the woman, who works for a rental villa, and a taxi driver over parking. Both of the incidents are also under investigation by the FBI for alleged civil rights violations.
Francis said the spate of allegations of abuse by police officers "is out of the norm" and could be a "trickle-down" effect that police departments face nationwide.
He noted that the Police Department does not have a pychological support program for its officers.
