NYC EMT ARRESTED

[tskstorm]

Just a FYI for everyone working. Department of Investigations is

constantly doing Integrity Tests on everyone (EMS, PD, FD, Sanitation,

etc...). They stage very realistic crime/accident/incident scenes to

try and catch people all the time. Always do the right thing and be

honest.

DOI ARRESTS AN EMT ON CHARGES OF TAKING $100 FROM A

PATIENT IN AN INTEGRITY TEST

ROSE GILL HEARN, Commissioner of the Department of

Investigation (“DOI”), announced the arrest today of DANIEL

BARRASSO, an

Emergency Medical Technician (“EMT”) employed by the New York City

Fire

Department (“FDNY”), on charges of taking $100 from a DOI

undercover

investigator posing as an injured patient during a DOI integrity test

this morning in Brooklyn. The office of

Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes is prosecuting the

case.

DOI Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn said, “This EMT is charged with

taking money from a person he was supposed to be helping. It goes

without saying that such conduct is utterly contrary to what the City

expects from its emergency medical personnel and to the professionalism

and compassion of its many hardworking EMTs.”

Commissioner Gill Hearn thanked FDNY Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta

and Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes and their staffs for

their assistance and cooperation in this case.

BARRASSO, 31, of Brooklyn, has been charged with Attempted Burglary in

the Second Degree, a class D felony; Attempted Burglary in the Third

Degree, a class E felony; Official Misconduct, a class A misdemeanor;

and Attempted Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fifth

Degree, Attempted Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree and Attempted

Petit Larceny, class B misdemeanors. Upon conviction, a class D felony

is punishable by up to seven years in prison, a class E felony by up to

four years in prison, a class A misdemeanor by up to a year’s

incarceration and a class B misdemeanor by up to three months in

prison.

Today’s integrity test, monitored and recorded by DOI investigators,

revealed that BARRASSO, while responding to an emergency call in

Brooklyn, removed a $100 bill from an envelope belonging to the

undercover investigator and while transporting that person to Coney

Island Hospital in his assigned FDNY ambulance stopped and handed the

money to an individual to whom he had just sent a text message. DOI

investigators recovered the bill from that individual.

BARRASSO was arrested at the hospital, and it is charged that he was in

possession of 38 alleged Oxycontin pills in an unmarked prescription

bottle. BARRASSO was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled

Substance in the

Third Degree, a class B felony, which upon conviction is punishable by

up to 25 years in prison.

BARRASSO is assigned to EMS Battalion 43 at Coney Island Hospital, has

been employed as an EMT since=2

0August 1999 and receives an annual salary of approximately $41,162.

As a result of today’s

arrest, he has been suspended and faces disciplinary action.

[spenac]

At first I thought they arrested him for accepting a gift. But he stole it from his patient, hang him high.

[Diazepam618]

What a waste of tax payer $$$, staging incidents and tying up medic units, so who cares he took a hundered dollars, don't put the public at risk buy wasting resources is my opinion.

[VentMedic]

What a waste of tax payer $$$, staging incidents and tying up medic units, so who cares he took a hundered dollars, don't put the public at risk buy wasting resources is my opinion.

Stealing is stealing. Preying on the sick and injured is in bad form and when it is done by someone who is supposed to have the public's trust, it is even lower. Scum sucking bottom feeder lower.

Several services stage this type of investigation. It usually just involves the crew that has been watched and there may be a just cause to stage it carefully. If the EMT(P) has any integrity, he would have done the right thing and turned the money in with the patient's belongings and asked for a receipt. Drugs have also been used as bait. This profession has lost quite a few due to taking drugs such as cocaine from their patients' belongings. There have also be staged incidents to check on the assessment or lack of assessment skills of certain crews. These may be done after several complaints and most do perform as expected so it is not a waste to smoothly remove these individuals from the profession.

[Asysin2leads]

What a waste of tax payer $$$, staging incidents and tying up medic units, so who cares he took a hundered dollars, don't put the public at risk buy wasting resources is my opinion.

I can tell you with out a doubt that when the Inspector Generals office conducts a 'sting' operation on a public safety employee they go out of there way to make sure that the 911 system is not compromised, up to and including put a spare unit in service while the unit being investigated goes through with the operation. The Inspector General's office also does not just do this at random. For the Inspector General's office to go to such lengths, they usually will have a great deal of evidence prior to the operation.

And yes, IMHO, an EMT STEALING $100 is a really bad thing.

[oz_paramedic_chick]

Personally I completely disagree diazepam....as others have said stealing is stealing and the fact this guy was stealing from his patient is totally unacceptable. If we want to remain a trusted and respected profession (well at least we are here in Oz) incidents like this need to be sorted. It's completely unacceptable conduct IMHO. We meet people at their most vulnerable and to break this trust is disguting. Kudos to the government for conducting 'stings' like this.

[Diazepam618]

Everyone is right stealing is stealing and should not be tolerated, I just thought that the tax payers and public shouldn't take the hit for bogus incident.

[VentMedic]

Everyone is right stealing is stealing and should not be tolerated, I just thought that the tax payers and public shouldn't take the hit for bogus incident.

Do you think the public would be any happier knowing their tax dollars are supporting thieves on the payroll that steal from patients? While the FDs of Southern CA may look the other way about alot of things especially when it comes to patient care, there are agencies in other parts of the country that do look out for the patient.

[Richard B the EMT]

While I have met him, I really do not know him.

[ncmedic309]

I initially thought it was BS that an incident was "staged" to catch somebody in the act but it would appear that this staging was not just a random occurence but part of a lengthy investigation on the EMT from previous complaints and suspicions. There isn't any room in this profession for these kind of people, we need them out and dealt with appropriately. I'm glad that they nabbed this guy before he got any further than he did. It would also seem that he was working with someone in the act, I'm wondering how things are going to turn out for this unnamed person?

Edited June 21, 2009 by ncmedic309