ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Orchard Park Police Chief is defending his officers' actions in a 2021 crash investigation involving a New York State Trooper, following a New York Times article that suggested the trooper escaped criminal charges for drinking and driving.
State Police documents show Senior Investigator Ron Wilson was driving his black BMW on Southwestern Boulevard, when he crashed in April 2021. Orchard Park Police responded to the scene and say Wilson was uncooperative when they were trying to determine who was driving the car.
Wilson did not admit to driving until the next day, according to police reports. State Police documents reveal the trooper had consumed seven drinks in six hours before the crash.
"Everybody makes decisions and ultimately, he has to live with the outcome of those decisions," Orchard Park Police Chief Patrick Fitzgerald said. "He knows the position he put not only those officers in but the other members of his department."
When asked if there's a double standard when crashes involve law enforcement, Fitzgerald denied any preferential treatment.
"There's not. I can speak for the officers in this department. There's not," Fitzgerald said.
The chief said his officers conducted a thorough investigation, interviewing witnesses, the victim and searching for nearby surveillance video. However, police could not determine who was driving the vehicle that night, so no breathalyzer test was administered and no arrest was made.
"Our officers responded in the manner they knew they should. They did the best job they could based upon the circumstances," Fitzgerald said. "Everyone of those officers, while frustrated, knows that they did what they could."
When asked directly if the trooper got away with criminal charges because he didn't admit to driving that night, Fitzgerald acknowledged the outcome.
"I think the fact that we were unable to identify operation and unable to make any additional arrest or charge that night, yeah, I mean you could certainly say that what could have been or should have been, wasn't," Fitzgerald said.
Wilson was suspended without pay for 35 days but remains employed as a state trooper.
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