Recently Capt. Paul Messina halted the Trenton Police Internal Affairs investigation by pleading guilty to "Inattention to duty". This unheard of move prevented IA investigators from hearing about the time frame that Capt. Messina was actually asleep, and also allowed another serious infraction to just disappear. That being that his gun was left on a table in his unsecured gun belt. For his plea of guilty, Trenton Police Director Joseph Santiago punished Capt. Messina with a ten-day suspension, five of which were held in abeyance. (Should Capt. Messina be found guilty of another infraction in the next year the five days held in abeyance will automatically be instituted.)

Remember when answering this poll that this was his SECOND offense of sleeping on duty.

ADDED 7/18/2007

MANY PEOPLE WITHIN THE CITY OF TRENTON THINK MAYOR PALMER WILL TAP CAPT. PAUL MESSINA TO LEAD THE TRENTON POLICE DEPARTMENT AFTER JOSEPH SANTIAGO'S OVEREXTENDED TENURE.

As most of you remember -and for those of you who don't- a Trenton patrolman videotaped then Sgt. Paul D. Messina of the Trenton NJ police department sleeping on duty in November 2003. Shortly after the incident occurred, and when asked about it by a reporter, Trenton police Director Joseph Santiago dismissed the incident as a case of Messina being ill. Then on January 24, 2007, after the video was anonymously posted on Youtube, Director Santiago changed his tune and stated Sgt. Messina had worked a double that day and was disciplined for his actions. (For the record, Sgt. Messina had attended an in-service training class at the police academy that day and then worked a VOLUNTARY overtime assignment that evening. The suggestion by Director Santiago that Sgt. Messina "worked" a double would lead some to believe it was an involuntary assignment.)

In the world of civil service, sleeping on duty is considered a serious rule infraction along with insubordination, drunkenness on duty and false statements. Penalties range from suspension to termination. Conversely, tardiness, untidiness and faulty driving would be considered minor rules infractions and usually don't result in such harsh outcomes.

Director Santiago's discipline of Sgt. Messina for this serious rule infraction in 2003 was in the form of a counseling form, the lowest possible form of punishment and one usually reserved for first offenses involving minor rule infractions.

While I can't imagine anyone considers the punishment fitting, what needs to be known -and might make the uneducated more understanding to the abnormal state of TPD- is that Paul Messina is Joseph Santiago's henchman. What this means is Paul Messina has free rein to do whatever he wants without fear of repercussion. Since the realization of this unbridled freedom, Messina has become drunk with power and acts with impunity as he roams the hallways and rides the streets, and because of that the men and women of the Trenton Police Department suffer on a daily basis. Also, another little known fact is that shortly after this videotape was shot, and after Paul's discipline was meted out, a patrolman was charged with sleeping on duty. In this case a police supervisor found an officer sitting with his eyes closed in his police vehicle while in a city park. The officer informed the supervisor that he wasn't sleeping and was only taking a break due to not feeling well that day. He indicated that he had taken some medication earlier in the day -which caused an unexpected drowsiness- and that he was "resting his eyes". The officer was subsequently charged with sleeping on duty and was eventually disciplined by Director Santiago in the form of a multi-day suspension, which was held in abeyance, and placed on probation for an undetermined amount of time.

For anyone that is wondering why there was such a difference in discipline handed out by the same man, but to two different officers, that's the way Joseph Santiago runs a police department. Double standards are the norm and if you aren't playing on his team expect the short end of the stick.

Fast forward to June 24, 2007 and guess what happened at TPD?

While once again working a VOLUNTARY overtime assignment -making over $70 an hour mind you- Capt. Paul D. Messina was found sleeping on duty AGAIN. Although this time he wasn't videotaped, he was photographed and guess who has the photos?

Yep, yours truly. Now before you look at these gems just remember that if this were you or I, and we were caught sleeping on duty for the second time, we'd most certainly face termination. But because this is Santiago's protégé -and he's a chosen one in the abnormal Trenton Police Department- he'll have nothing to worry about. But to further that notion of abnormality in TPD, you can bet your bottom dollar that the pressure will be on to find the person that took these pictures and discipline them for taking these pictures.