Weeks after the resignation of Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale and the arrest of Roosevelt resident Randy White, there are now more questions than answers.
To be sure this has become a political football and the Democrats are making the most of it. Nevertheless we don’t see how a new police commissioner can be sworn in until the troubling issues raised by the arrest of White and resignation of Dale are put to rest.
Nassau County Democratic legislators are calling for hearings investigating ties between former Police Sgt. Sal Mistretta, Dale and the re-election campaign of Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano.
Mistretta, who contributed $600 to Mangano’s campaign in March and October and was listed as an organizer of an Oct. 28 Mangano campaign fundraiser, served White with a civil subpoena in October. The sergeant retired in November after 26 years with the police department,
White admitted in October that he was paid illegally by the campaign to help former Freeport Mayor Andrew Hardwick run as a third-party candidate for county executive against Mangano and Democrat Tom Suozzi.
Mangano spokesman Brian Nevin says hearings looking into his boss’s role in all of this aren’t needed. “The District Attorney cleared County Executive Mangano and his administration,” he says.
We disagree. White was dragged off a bus, handcuffed and arrested for failure to pay a $250 fine.
The arrest was ordered directly by Dale who resigned after meeting with Mangano. So far no explanation has been offered as to why Dale resigned. Why was Mistretta out of all the police officers in Nassau County chosen to serve the subpoena?
Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice conducted an investigation into allegations that White’s arrest was politically motivated and led to Dale’s resignation in early December. Her investigation cleared Dale and Mangano of any criminality.
But her investigation did not explain why White was targeted or why Dale resigned. Until these questions are answered, the Legislature should block any attempt to appoint of a new police commissioner.
