Cop Collision: Battle Over Police Sick And Injury Management, Drug Testing, Lead To Charges And Lawsuit

Veteran Bridgeport Police Lieutenant William “Ron” Bailey has a reputation for traveling to the beat of a different drum that includes 30 years of investigating, infiltrating and arresting the most dangerous drug dealers in the city. Currently, he’s in charge of sick and injury management that has put him at odds with officers he claims have falsely accused him of manipulating results of random urine tests for drug screening, including one officer who faced suspension. Bailey has responded with a lawsuit claiming officers, including Charles Paris, head of Police Local 1159, have  maliciously submarined his business and professional relationships. This is another chapter in Baily’s years-long confrontation with union leadership; this time in key areas of the department, sick and injury abuse as well as drug testing.

Bailey tells OIB:

Since I took over sick and injury mismanagement three years ago, they are not happy with my making people come to work or that I then seek to force retire those that don’t come to work … Why would the union president seek to pursue a claim that is clearly false even after he was made aware I can’t tamper with the samples.

Bailey’s Superior Court complaint states that his responsibilities “include sick and injury management within the Bridgeport Police Department, to assure that taxpayers are not cheated by officers’ inappropriate use of sick and injury leave time.”

During the summer of 2012, as a part of his official duties, according to the complaint, Bailey directed several police officers, including defendant Ivan Clayton to submit to random urine tests for drug screening. The complaint adds that Clayton, a member of the department’s Tactical Narcotics Team, failed the drug screening test and as a result was suspended with pay.

In a written communication last August to Bridgeport Police Chief Joseph Gaudett, the complaint asserts that Clayton falsely and maliciously accused Bailey of “tampering” with his drug screening test and demanded that Bailey “be removed from his current position where he is in charge, of sick and injured management.”

Last September, in a meeting with Gaudett in the chief’s office, Paris asked the chief to investigate whether Bailey had in fact tampered with the test, according to the complaint.

“In the manner described above, the defendants have maliciously accused the plaintiff of committing a felony,” the suit alleges. “They have made that accusation with actual knowledge that the accusation was false and have made it for the purpose of causing the plaintiff to suffer injury in his relationship with his employer.”

The complaint states that as a result of the defendants actions Bailey has been subjected to a formal investigation by the Internal Affairs Division, has been required to respond in writing to the accusations and has been “undermined in his professional relationships with his superiors and subordinates, and has been caused to suffer emotional distress and humiliation.”

Bailey seeks judgment against the defendants including compensatory and punitive damages. Bailey is represented by veteran civil rights litigator John Williams.

Paris, Clayton, et al., are welcome to share their side of the story with OIB.

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23 comments

  1. Joel, there are times for kidding and there are times kidding is not appropriate and this is one of those times it is wrong.
    The sick leave abuse and injury leave abuse in the PD is a major problem. The police board has done nothing to help Bailey do his job. They seem to be a rubber stamp for Chief Gaudett.
    A police officer accused of taking drugs is a serious matter and should be treated as such. If this officer is guilty he should be given one shot at rehab and taken off the tactical unit. A second failed drug test should lead to the dismissal of this officer.

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    1. This is not so much about “sick leave abuse and injury leave abuse.” It’s about “…Clayton falsely and maliciously accused Bailey of “tampering” with his drug screening test and demanded that Bailey “be removed from his current position …” As I understand, the drug-testing procedures were negotiated with the union. There are guidelines set in place to prevent “tampering” with urine samples. The test are done at random for example.
      You guys get all jumpy over an obvious joke, yet make and allow a serious statement like this to get by as a statement of fact: “… the police board has done nothing to help Bailey do his job. They seem to be a rubber stamp for Chief Gaudett.”

      It was Chief Gaudett who forced the implementation of the drug-testing policy. Ron Bailey investigates potential abuse of sick and injury claims. He presents his findings to the brass and eventually the Police Commissioners make a ruling when all parties involved have been heard–sometimes you win; sometimes you lose. Is it a perfect system? Obviously, it isn’t!

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  2. Andy Fardy is serious about this subject. We all should be.
    If a City worker becomes injured or sick so as to impair employment, there are rules, processes and protocols. Presumably a Chief monitors and supervises, or puts someone else in charge. How does the public know about this subject? I guess we can attend meetings but Police Board meetings are not listed on the new site. Are numbers of sick/injured (without names to protect confidentiality) available for reporting to the public? Do records show whether they are on full pay (but no duty), or disability pay (with no duty)? How long is the average duration? Are there cases of individuals who are disabled being discovered doing work similar to some types of police work but drawing some type of City pay? Or able to work some times of the year but not others so they can rest in southern lands?

    These are stories that need to be cleaned up, cleared out and reported at an end to the public. If similar stories were dealt with in Fire Department in recent years, what is the trouble with the Police administration and Police Board? Who wants to speak up? And when is the next Police Board meeting? Time will tell.

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  3. Joel,
    It’s a shame we all have to plow through the detritus you publish as you portend an attempt at humor. At best, you are simply an inappropriate person.

    The issue is serious and you spew forth nonsense.

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  4. I know Billy Bailey and I know his unorthodox methods in regards to the undercover work he has done lo these 30 or so years. He has always butted heads with the union and police administrators and has been shown to be an honest and effective police officer. There are a number of incidents that occurred where Bill had no backup from his “superiors.” I believe Bill when he says this particular cop in question failed a random drug test. Who wants a drugged-up or drunk police officer protecting them?

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  5. I know this will be hard to believe but the police brass and many lazy officers do not like active, aggressive police officers such as Bill Bailey.
    Many years ago when I was on the arson squad and had a detective for a partner there was a push to get unserved warrants served and the perps arrested. There was one officer as I remember assigned to this job. Lo and behold this officer was making arrests galore from these unserved warrants. He was making enemies as he was making others in the department look bad including the brass. They made his life miserable and various BS charges were brought and never substantiated. The gripe was how could one officer managed to do what he did when a whole or almost whole department couldn’t do what he did.

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    1. Is it Ronnie Bailey or Billy Bailey? If it was Bailey who tested positive for cocaine, there would be jokes like: Two officers sitting in a bar and one asks the other, What are you drinking?
      To which he responds: Bailey on the Rocks!

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          1. You’re repugnant. Who is it you have to give your sample to? Are you on some kind of medication? If not perhaps you should be.

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  6. *** There are always two sides to a story with the truth somewhere in the middle, no? If Bailey does his job well and without malice, those who have been milking the system will be the first to cry foul! It’s obviously a thankless task that needs to have better support by the P/D admin. and officers union. It only takes one to spoil and bring unwanted negative light on a good thing sometimes. Maybe an independent civilian Human Resources & Benefits office that handles employee personal sick time, vacation, etc. on the books would be better suited to avoid blue on blue admin. conflicts, no? *** ABUSE OF SICK TIME AFFECTS ALL! ***

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    1. Mojo: We don’t need a new group of political appointees to monitor sick and injury leave in the PD. There are four highly paid deputy chiefs who basically do squat.
      There is a board of Police commissioners that should be monitoring sick and injury leave. The Fire commission did it and got rid of the dead beats and all it took was one commissioner John O’Malley to lead the charge.

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  7. Her are some facts readers may not be aware of:
    – Lt. Bailey is on the verge of being removed from SIM due to incompetence. He has been in that position for three years and has screwed up drug testing, doesn’t keep track of sick time effectively, and only one officer has been fired for sick abuse under his watch.
    – Bailey is going to make $160K this year, yet only works from generally 10am and is gone by 1:30pm. His office is 20 feet away from the chief.
    – Bailey does ALL drug testing on overtime yet delegates much of his work to patrol supervisors.
    – Bailey has been taken care of his whole career, yet cries whenever he is asked to do his job. (19 years in TNT, three years in Housing, three years in SIM)
    – Bailey has a long track record of suing the city whenever he doesn’t get his way, then brags about it to dept. members.
    – The city just hired an assistant chief to control sick abuse and overtime because the chief has been ineffective at doing both. He knows Bailey is incompetent, but has not removed him yet.
    – This BS lawsuit is only about two things: more money in Bailey’s pocket and leverage to secure himself a more lucrative position in the department. If Bailey cares so much about saving the city money, he wouldn’t gouge them on OT and file frivolous lawsuits that cost taxpayers even more to litigate.

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  8. Bailey has his own agenda, so what? Everybody knows that. I think he’s done a good job. Deadbeats, fake injured cops are on notice. He’s got the guts to do it, let him be. Chief’s clueless and on another planet. I don’t think he knows how to tie his shoes. (Remember this is the same guy hired after a nationwide search.) Clayton: you got caught. Fess up. One more time, you’re gone.
    Bailey on the way out the door. Let him stir the pot. Union is doing what the union does, protect the idiots, morons, and the one to three percent who are pathetic and couldn’t survive in the private sector.

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