Nassau police commissioner resigns

(Page 2 of 2)

“While Commissioner Dale’s judgment and involvement may justifiably receive scrutiny on an administrative level, this office has found nothing to indicate the perjury complaint against Mr. White was evaluated inappropriately,” wrote Rice. “… While the political sensitivity of Mr. White’s case may very well give rise to appropriate administrative and public scrutiny surrounding the decision to prioritize the search and arrest of Mr. White, the Department’s decision to target the subject of an open warrant was not a violation of criminal law.”

In his statement, Mangano insisted that despite this public kerfuffle, residents of the county should not assume corruption on the part of most NCPD officers.

“The Nassau County Police Department has suffered a series of setbacks related to a handful of employees over the last decade,” Mangano said. “However, it is important to note the overwhelming majority of police officers serve our residents honorably, and I thank them for their dedication to protecting our neighborhoods and making Nassau the safest large county in America.”

Nassau County Democrats followed up on Dale’s resignation at a press conference on Monday, stressing that Rice’s investigation did not go far enough and requesting a special prosecutor from outside the county to take a fresh look at the case. Democratic legislators also called for a special hearing, at which Dale and Mangano would be required to testify.

“I’m astonished that something like this can happen today in Nassau County and no one sees anything wrong with it,” said Democratic Leader Kevan Abrahams. “We believe Commissioner Dale completely abused his authority and used the entire weight of the police force to arrest and intimidate a witness.”

Page 2 / 2