Arbitrator rules against Sullivan on some charges; special prosecutor issues statement

STATEMENT BY WILLIAM P. HARRINGTON, Special Prosecutor

“The town is gratified by the June 2 Findings and Recommendations of Hearing Officer Ponzini that found Chief Sullivan guilty of charges related to his intentional deletion of cell phone data while he was the subject of administrative charges and a defendant in multiple town lawsuits.

“The 55-page decision, and the imposition of a 15-day suspension without pay, reaffirms the fundamental premise, well-known to the rank and file of the Clarkstown Police Department, that police department computer data belongs to the town. No member of the department, regardless of rank, can intentionally permanently delete such data without sanction.”

STATEMENT BY KRISTEN STAVISKY, Chairwoman of Rockland Democratic Committee:

“Chief Michael Sullivan endured a kangaroo court and today, unsurprisingly, George Hoehmann’s handpicked hatchet man ruled against an honorable man and supported a political witch-hunt. The Rockland Democratic Committee looks forward to the day Hoehmann and his cronies are forced to answer questions, under oath, in a real court; Only then will the public finally discover the true extent of his relationship with Michael and Lawrence Garvey, and how that impacted his vendetta against a highly decorated police chief. Today is a sad day for Clarkstown, but the truth always comes out and we stand with Chief Michael Sullivan.”