A fired Hispanic Eastchester police officer is firing back in federal court, claiming he was targeted and unjustly terminated. The town, however, has a different take.
"I was blacklisted. I knew I was blacklisted," said Anthony Barberan, a former Eastchester police officer.
Barberan said he felt déjà vu when he saw the documentary "Crime + Punishment," highlighting I-Team interview with minority NYPD cops who claimed they were pressured to meet illegal ticket quotas.
"I think I was fired because I was blowing the whistle on what was going on there," Barberan told News 4. "I was always bringing up ticket quotas."
Eastchester, along with New York City, denies quotas have ever existed. But Barberan, a Hispanic officer in a largely white police force, is now embroiled in a contentious federal discrimination lawsuit against the town and says he has documented proof of the quota pressure.
"You were expected to come up with at least 15-20 tickets per months."
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Barberan shared text message where he complained about meeting "numbers." he said he was sent for remedial training but maintains the scrutiny didn't let up, even after he filed an EEOC complaint. He was accused of misconduct during an arrest and after an internal disciplinary hearing, he was fired.
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"I felt like I was retaliated against, like there was an agenda to get me out."
The county attorney said Barberan was not targeted or terminated for being Hispanic, than an independent hearing examiner recommended termination after finding that "his lies were manufactured to cover up his incompetence, unprofessionalism, and most importantly, his unconstitutional actions."
Barberan countered by providing internal police reports where he claims his signature was forged and said the town's vendetta went beyond him.
”They’ll retaliate not only against you, but your family. They’ll make your life, you know, a living hell," Barberan said.
His stepfather, Kenneth Simonides, a longtime veteran Eastchester firefighter, spoke out in public meetings after Barberan's firing, claiming a police witch hunt.
"I don't play games and I don't cause any trouble. But this is something effecting my family life," Simonides said at the meeting.
Documents obtained by the I-Team show the then-police chief requested an investigation into Simonides by the fire department for possible abuse of sick time. The town spent $23,000 of taxpayer money for a private investigator who followed Simonides -- even taking surveillance pictures of his wife and her daughter.
"That's just outright disgraceful. It's absolutely disgraceful," Simonides said.
He said the case never resulted in charges. He retired in August.
"They need to be held accountable. You can't be making false accusations against people," Simonides said.
Barberan is also not going quietly. Inspired by NYPD Lt. Edwin Raymond, who recently retired early to work on nationwide police reform, they believe outside oversight is needed to protect whistleblower officers.
"All over the county, NYC, all I'm seeing officers speaking out how they are being targeted in different ways," Barberan said.
Several dispositions have already taken place of current and former police officers in connections to Barberan's lawsuit. The town is expected to seek to have it dismissed. Barberan wants the case to go to trial.
