Why did the Department of Internal Affairs in Boynton Beach report their innocence without interviewing the officials?
BOYNTON BEACH — An internal affairs investigator cleared two Boynton Beach police officers of wrongdoing in their handling of a crash investigation without speaking to them. One expert questioned how investigators could clear them without doing so.
Both officers smelled alcohol on the breath of Chelsea Hanes, the girlfriend of City Commissioner Thomas Turgeon. He arrived at the scene of the accident and told police that Hanes was his girlfriend. Hanis was never charged or required to submit to a Breathalyzer test.
Mark Sieron, a Jacksonville-area attorney who specializes in DUI cases, discussed the case with The Palm Beach Post at its request. The odor of alcohol by itself may not be enough to initiate a DUI investigation, but when property damage is involved, an investigation is almost always initiated, he said.
The seat belt struck a disabled car with a flat tire, sending the car into the gates of High Point Retirement Community and causing extensive damage to the sign. Both vehicles were totaled.
Officer Desiree Rosas was in her patrol car investigating a possible drunk driving incident involving the girlfriend of Boynton Beach Deputy Mayor Thomas Turgeon. A complaint has been filed with the county Ethics Commission accusing Turgeon of interfering with the police investigation. Rosas resigned shortly after the COE launched an investigation.
The Palm Beach County Ethics Commission investigated whether Turgeon violated ethics rules by showing up at the scene to help Maness. Ultimately, the ethics committee concluded there was insufficient evidence that Turgeon had improper influence over police, but ethics committee investigators found his behavior “concerning.”
The Post submitted a public records request to the police department to determine whether it had conducted an internal affairs investigation. Police Chief Joe DeGiulio made the request after learning of the Ethics Commission investigation, records show.
The department provided The Washington Post with a summary of the report submitted by Sgt. Kristen Notty. The Washington Post has since made another request for this report.
Boynton Beach Deputy Mayor Thomas Turgeon left the scene of an accident to speak privately with a police officer investigating whether his girlfriend should be charged with driving while intoxicated. Shortly after the conversation, police filed a report with Turgeon indicating she would not be arrested. The officer turned off his body camera, so there was no record of the conversation.
Officers Thomas Coppini and Desiree Rosas were not interviewed, the summary shows. Instead, IA investigators relied on testimony Coppini provided to the ethics committee. Rosas resigned in April, before the IA investigation began but shortly after the commission’s investigation began.
The Ethics Commission attempted to interview Rosas, but police refused to provide a forwarding address. Phil Trano, who sparked the committee’s investigation, also was not interviewed. He claimed Turgeon told him the night of the crash that Hanes was drunk and “she was lucky she didn’t go to jail.”
Coppini turned off his body camera to talk to Turgeon. The Home Office report did not say whether this breached a requirement for police officers to explain on camera why their cameras were turned off. Coppini never made such a statement.
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DeGiulio said in an emailed statement to The Washington Post that officers can turn off the cameras once an interaction or incident is complete. DeGiulio said Coppini turned off the camera after he confirmed on camera with Rosas, who responded, that she would not proceed with the DUI investigation.
As for why the officials were never interviewed, DeGiulio said the IA reviewed “the Ethics Committee’s final closing report and the statements provided by our officials and determined that there were no additional concerns.” However, the Ethics Committee noted in its report that its review The focus is on Turgeon’s conduct, not the quality of the law enforcement investigation.
Louis Dekmar, a retired police chief in LaGrange, Ga., and former president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, reviewed the internal affairs report at the request of The Washington Post. Dekmar has been in law enforcement for more than 50 years. He is an adjunct professor at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, and an individual police management consultant.
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Will the lack of detail in the report affect “public confidence”?
Boynton Beach Deputy Mayor Thomas Turkin
Dekma was upset the officers were not interviewed.
“The Ethics Commission’s investigation focused primarily on whether the commissioner violated the Code of Ethics,” Dekmar said. “This report is inconsistent with accepted law enforcement standards and practices. These failures and inadequate investigations may affect public confidence.
Dekmar also said he was disturbed when an officer’s body-worn camera was turned off while he was speaking to the commissioner.
The IA summary conflicts with the Ethics Committee’s key findings. The Interior Department report said, “During the preliminary investigation, the commissioner (Turgeon) never had direct contact with officials.” However, the ethics committee found that Turgeon arrived at the scene while officials were conducting the crash investigation. He told them Hanes was his girlfriend. Body-worn camera footage confirmed the discovery.
After learning Hanes was Turgeon’s girlfriend, Rosas said, “What did I get myself into?” Body camera video shows Turgeon interacting with police after deciding not to charge Hanes Laugh together and give them high fives.
At 2 a.m. on May 24, 2024, Turkin and Terrano arrived at the crash site almost simultaneously. She was employed by Terrano at the time. Trano filed an ethics complaint against Turgeon, claiming he told him Turgeon convinced police not to charge Hanes.
The ethics committee concluded that Trano’s version could not be independently verified. Turgeon said Terrano acted out of bad faith because the city canceled a contract with him to develop a Little League ballpark.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post has learned that Turgeon’s presence at the crash site cost Boynton Beach taxpayers $4,200. The city approved payment to Tallahassee attorney Jennifer Blohm to represent Turgeon before the Ethics Commission. She was paid $400 an hour and was reimbursed for a flight from Tampa to West Palm Beach and a $337 one-night stay at the Hyatt Regency West Palm Beach.
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Mike Diamond is a journalist palm beach postpart of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He is responsible for informing Palm Beach County government and issues affecting homeowners associations. You can contact him via: mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared in The Palm Beach Post: Boynton internal affairs report clears officer, but findings questioned
