Judge: Bird case report to remain sealed

An internal affairs report outlining mistakes Nassau police officers made in the days before a Westbury man tortured and killed Jo'Anna Bird in 2009 cannot be released to the public, a U.S. District Court judge has said.

Judge Arthur Spatt, in a ruling announced Monday, upheld a U.S. magistrate's decision in January to keep sealed a 700-page report on police actions in the days before Leonardo Valdez-Cruz killed Bird, of New Cassel.

Spatt's ruling was in response to objections to the magistrate's decision by Bird's mother, Sharon Dorsett, Newsday and News 12 Long Island.

Dorsett's lawyer, Fred Brewington, received a copy of the report, with portions redacted, as part of a federal lawsuit he filed alleging that police mishandled Bird's calls for help.

He scheduled a news conference in December 2010 to release the report, but county lawyers sought a protective order and the magistrate granted it. Spatt said that county lawyers had shown good cause for asking for the protective order.

"The people need to see this because the residents of Nassau County need to know what they can expect when they call police in a domestic situation," said Brewington.

Katie Grilli Robles, a spokeswoman for the county, declined to comment.

Paul Fleishman, a spokesman for Newsday, said the paper is "reviewing the judge's decision.

Dorsett said she reached a settlement with the county about two weeks ago. Terms of the settlement, which must be approved by the county legislature and the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, were not disclosed.

Valdez-Cruz is serving a life sentence for murdering Bird, with whom he had a young son.