Thomas V. Brownell This is Me

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1. 1. Recordernews.com

   www.recordernews.com/Stories/2 - [Cached]

   Published on: 1/19/2007   Last Visited: 1/19/2007

   Amsterdam Police Chief Thomas Brownell said Montgomery County Sheriff's deputies were at Amsterdam High School on Thursday to make more arrests in connection with the Jan. 14 incident.
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   Additionally, Brownell confirmed that a separate probe ,into the conduct of deputies and officers who responded to the 28 Young Ave. Abeling residence, where the party was held , is also under way. Brownell said that investigation is linked to a phone call he received alleging favoritism on the part of arresting officers. While the party was outside the jurisdiction of the Amsterdam Police Department, Amsterdam officers were called to assist at the scene. "The tip was that some favoritism was shown as to who got tickets and who was let go," Brownell said. Brownell said a joint investigation into the allegations has been launched, with a lieutenant from the Amsterdam Police Department looking into the actions of personnel from that department and Smith investigating the conduct of deputies from the Sheriff's Office.
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   Brownell said, "I want people to know that this will be a very transparent investigation. If any improprieties occurred, it'll be taken care of; but on the other hand, we aren't going to discipline officers just because of parent outcry." Wednesday night, Amato said it's a normal occurrence for parents to call with complaints after an arrest of this nature. Brownell said he's had discussions with about a dozen parents and has received mixed responses regarding the allegations of favoritism. "Some parents said some [officers] did show favoritism; other parents didn't think they showed favoritism," he said. "Every officer at the scene will be interviewed and questioned as to whether they did or did not do anything outside their protocols," Brownell continued. "If we find any officers who showed favoritism, that situation will be dealt with." He said any departmental action would be taken with regard to Civil Service Law, "and what's in the officer's file." If an officer's past performance was good and he/she had a clean record, disciplinary action for that individual would be more lenient than it would be for an officer with a blemished record, Brownell said. "Unless," he said, "it rises to a crime" , for example, in the instance of an officer who was arrested for drunk driving. "That's just as egregious as letting a drunk driver go. There'd be serious ramifications," he said.
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   With regard to both investigations, Brownell said department personnel are trying to sift through information "and make sure it's first-party information, not second or third hand." Brownell said if a parent calls and says he or she knows a youth was at the party who was over 16, that lead will be pursued.
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   Brownell echoed that. He said, "These tickets aren't issued to punish people; they're issued as a wake-up call to the parents.
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   Brownell said, "It's not that these kids are big-time criminals, but it's important they understand this is not the rite of passage of years past. Kids die of alcohol intoxication and drunk-driving accidents. There's an urban legend out there that if you have a party at your house, it's okay to serve alcohol [to underage drinkers] if they're not going anywhere." He continued, "It's not okay to give them alcohol just because they're staying at your house overnight. Even if it's only a $100 or $200 fine for unlawfully dealing with minors, what happens if a drunk kid wanders into the woods and dies of exposure or passes out and aspirates" vomit. "The civil ramifications are far more severe," Brownell said.

2. 2. Opposition to Gun Industry Immunity

   www.handguncontrol.org/xshare/ - [Cached]

   Published on: 7/31/2004   Last Visited: 5/18/2005

   Chief Thomas V. Brownell Amsterdam Police Dept. (NY)

3. 3. Amsterdam Rotary Club

   www.amsterdamrotary.org - [Cached]

   Published on: 11/2/2005   Last Visited: 11/2/2005

   Thomas Brownell