Hempstead Village OKs revised contracts for police chiefs

The Hempstead Village Board of Trustees voted Monday to approve revised contracts for three police chiefs and award detective shields to one sergeant and two officers.

The meeting was the board's first after the arrest of Trustee Perry Pettus last week on charges of bribe-receiving, grand larceny, official misconduct and conspiracy. He is accused of taking more than $25,000 in bribes by extorting two local Hispanic restaurateurs with the help of a Spanish-speaking bar owner, William Mendez, and threatening to drive the victims out of business if they didn’t pay protection money. Mendez was also arrested last week.

Pettus declined before the board meeting to comment on his arrest and said he intends to keep his trustee seat. 

William Sammon, leader of the village GOP and the coordinator of the local Unity Party, called on Pettus to resign from his seat. Pettus ran on the Unity Party line in his most recent re-election campaign, in 2015. 

“Trustee Pettus’ actions have seriously weakened this administration’s image and threatens to impair its ability to function as it has cast a shadow over the village’s services and responsibilities,” Sammon said. 

Mayor Don Ryan said during Sammon’s speech that Pettus’ arrest was a sensitive issue and declined to comment further due to the ongoing investigation. 

The board voted unanimously to approve new contracts for Chief Paul Johnson, Assistant Chief Patrick Cooke and Deputy Chief Richard Holland. Their original contracts were approved in July. 

In the previous contracts, Johnson’s first-year salary was $224,496. Cooke’s was $206,536 and Holland’s was $191,620, according to copies. The new contracts raised Johnson’s salary to $230,108. Cooke’s to $211,699 and Holland’s to $196,411. Johnson said the previous contracts didn’t include the most recent step raises. 

The contracts expire May 31, 2021. 

The board is also voted unanimously to promote Sgt. Steven Horowitz, Matthew Murphy and Juan Miranda to the rank of detective. Officers must get the designation after working 18 consecutive months in the department’s investigative units.