City cop to resign
Suspended police officer to see assault charge dropped
SARATOGA SPRINGS — City police officer Edward Braim has agreed to resign his position with the Saratoga Springs Police Department immediately to have a misdemeanor assault charge against him dropped.
Braim was charged with assault following a Nov. 12 fight outside Dango Fitzgerald’s bar on Caroline Street.
Braim had been suspended from the department without pay since the incident. Two other officers, Mark Leffler and John Guzek, also were suspended but did not face criminal charges for their involvement. Both have since returned to work.
Saratoga Springs Police Chief Christopher Cole said the off- duty incident
was a mistake and that the vast majority of his police department is comprised of “hard- working, respectable people who do their job with pride.”
“Obviously, there’s always a negative effect when something like this happens in any police department. Although there were several police officers involved, the main focus was really on one and he was dealt with accordingly,” Cole said.
As a condition of his deal, Braim also will give up any weapons he owns, pay up to $2,800 toward the victim’s medical bills and attend anger management classes for six months. He must report to the court on the progress of those classes by Jan. 31.
According to court documents, Braim slammed a 41-year-old male into the side of a vehicle parked outside the bar, causing injuries that included difficulty breathing, redness, swelling and contusions to his torso, neck and wrist.
Andrew Safranko, the attorney for the three police officers, said he thought criminal charges should not have been
“(Braim) continues to be upset that the criminal justice system was used to enforce administration or employment matters … The bottom line is we’re happy that the criminal charges are resolved and are going to be dismissed.” Andrew Safranko attorney for the police officers
brought against the officer and that the incident should have been resolved by the department internally.
“(Braim) continues to be upset that the criminal justice system was used to enforce administration or employment matters … The bottom line is we’re happy that the criminal charges are resolved and are going to be dismissed,” Safranko said.
The misdemeanor charge was adjourned in contemplation of dismissal, so if Braim complies by all the conditions, the charge will be dropped in six months.
An order of protection prevents Braim from contacting the victim for six months.
This isn’t the first incident related to Braim that has raised questions. In 2008, Braim accused a Skidmore College student of assaulting him while he was responding to an offcampus party. The student was charged with felony assault. Months later, after six other students disputed Braim’s account and supported the accused student’s story that Braim was the aggressor, the charges against the student were dropped.
In 2011, another city police officer, Patrick Arpei, resigned after he was charged with stalking his former girlfriend, a misdemeanor. The charge against Arpei were ultimately adjourned in contemplation of dismissal. He was suspended and was the subject of an internal review before his resignation.