Protesters demand justice for Darryl Mount
Activists call for a full and independent investigation of the Saratoga Springs Police Department for its actions surrounding the death of Darryl Mount
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Protesters, alleging misconduct, are calling for a full and independent investigation of the Saratoga Springs Police Department for its actions surrounding the death of Darryl Mount, who died from injuries sustained in a Caroline Street incident during the early morning hours of Aug. 31, 2013.
Police say Mount, 21, fell from scaffolding in an alley while fleeing officers who tried to apprehend him after Mount allegedly pushed his girlfriend’s head into a brick wall. But Mount’s family, which has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, believes police beat him.
He fell into a coma, never fully regained consciousness and died nine months later in May 2014.
“The Saratoga Springs Police Department needs to be held accountable,” said Jermaine Hammond, a lifelong friend of Mount’s, during a Tuesday rally outside the Saratoga Springs City Center, prior to a City Council meeting.
About 50 people gathered, holding signs that said, “Justice for Darryl: Action Now!” and “Actions Speak Louder Than Lies!”
Supporters of Mount’s family are especially upset by police Chief Greg Veitch, who shortly after the 2013 incident told The Saratogian that his depart-
ment was conducting an internal investigation into alleged police misconduct. But in a May 2017 deposition – details first revealed by the Times-Union this past August – Veitch admitted to misleading The Saratogian’s reporter, while adding that no such investigation ever occurred.
Veitch, a co-defendant in the wrongful death lawsuit, declined comment Tuesday.
Protesters say Veitch has violated the public’s trust and are circulating a petition demanding “an immediate review of current policies and procedures” and “mandatory training for the Saratoga Springs Police Department and all city employees on implicit bias and bias reduction, intercultural proficiency and nonviolent conflict resolution.” The protest took place at the same time four new officers were being sworn in during ceremonies at the City Center. They are Steven Childs, Adam Campbell, Caleb Bentley, and Nicole Pulcher-Guzek. Two other new officers, Neil Wright and Jeff Hargett, were unable to attend.
Two other officers, Wade Collins, and Jenna Hilts, were also promoted to sergeant.
“There are good officers on our force,” said lifelong city resident Joy King, whose father, Thomas Gibson, was a New York City police officer. “This situation breaks my heart. It’s just very painful. People I’ve respected for years, I can’t trust them. Things need to change.”
The group Saratoga Immigration Coalition is calling for the creation of a Civilian Review Board comprised of people “knowledgeable about investigatory procedures such as lawyers and judges” along with members of civic, religious and cultural organizations. “Had such a board been available to oversee the Mount incident, its findings of fact and conclusions would have addressed most of the issues which remained unresolved,” the group’s spokesman Terry Diggory said.
Public Safety Commissioner Peter Martin could not immediately be reached for comment. But published reports say he has rejected the idea for such a group.
City resident Andrew Bozio said. “Circumstances of Darryl’s death should have been enough to trigger an internal investigation. Did the police do that? No. In fact, they did even worse. They lied about it.”
Attorney Mark Mishler, of the group Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration, said, “We need to have a complete overhaul of what we expect police to be doing. Most of what police do is not necessary. We want police to back off.”