A report on how Greece Police handled their former chief’s crash on Route 390 in October is critical of how officers investigated, or didn’t investigate, what happened.
The report is from retired Rochester Deputy Police Chief Joseph Morabito. It was commissioned by the Town of Greece after Former GPD Chief Drew Forsythe smashed his department SUV into a guardrail on 390 back in October.
The report says the GPD should have immediately called in another agency as an investigative unit, based on the circumstances presented. “GPD was influenced by the former chief being involved,” according to the report.
Forsythe drove the heavily damaged SUV for nearly five miles on three wheels, finally breaking down at North Greece and English Roads. Only then did he radio in the accident. No field sobriety tests were performed, although an investigation by the District Attorney’s Office later found he had as many as half-a-dozen drinks at a downtown bar before heading home.
The report says “minimally, one of the GPD members responding should have asked the Chief if he had been drinking.”
The report further says the highest-ranking officer on scene told other officers to take Forsythe home, see he got medical care, and not to take photos of the accident scene. The report says Forsythe downplayed the crash when speaking with the Town Supervisor and Deputy Supervisor the next day, saying he swerved to avoid a deer and hit the guardrail.
The report goes on to recommend policy changes, including training on how officers should respond to crashes involving police cars and notify town officials when a police car is involved in an accident.
During last week’s town board meeting, board members were told 10 Greece officers were investigated, three were exonerated, and seven were recommended for penalties.