Last night Trenton resident Greg Forester reported on the NJ.com Trenton Forum that he saw a person that looked just like Captain Sleepy at Settimo Cielo Restaurant/Bar on Front Street in Trenton with Director Santiago and an unidentified female. This sighting reportedly was at 6:00pm on Friday August 31, 2007. Forester also claims he saw the alleged Captain Sleepy enter a white Cadillac and leave the area. (For the record, a white Cadillac was photographed next to the unmarked city car at his residence when photos were taken during his suspension.)

The significance of this sighting is two-pronged. Part one is Captain Sleepy was suppose to be working 4:00pm-12:00am on the date in question as part of an initiative to have commanders on the street during the night hours during the summer. Part two is the fact that Captain Sleepy was booked off sick (At least according to the official TPD Police Officer Scheduling System (POSS) as of Saturday September 1, 2007) due to injuries received in a motor vehicle accident he was involved in on Monday August 27, 2007.

Trenton sick policy dictates that when an officer is booked off sick he/she has to be in their residence during their tour of duty, unless permission is granted from the desk sergeant to leave for specific reason(s). (Pharmacy, go to grocery store for food, pick up child, etc., but not going to a bar to meet with Santiago.)

These are serious allegations and as such the TPD Internal Affairs Unit should institute an immediate and thorough investigation. Any and all required doctor's notes should be obtained. (Personal physician and city doctor notes are required when off sick more than three days). Computerized records with time stamps should be obtained from POSS (In case a change is made after the fact, which would indicate a possible cover-up). An interview with the desk sergeant working that night should also be conducted to see if Captain Sleepy called in and requested permission to leave his residence. Also, to insure some impartiality (Some being the operative word here.), the female sergeant assigned to Internal Affairs should not be involved in this investigation as she's been seen dining with Captain Sleepy at the very restaurant/bar that this alleged serious rules violation occurred at.

Although it's been proven that Santiago employs double standards when it involves one of his cronies (See tomorrows update for collaboration.), we can only hope appropriate action is taken if these allegations are proven true. We also hope the residents of Trenton demand the results of the investigation be made public as Santiago enjoys the luxury of claiming confidentiality when it comes to personnel matters.