ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — The 7 News I-Team's award-winning 2022 investigation, Behind the Blue Line, is now making national headlines. The New York Times went through more than 10,000 disciplinary files from across New York State, discovering that there are police officers breaking the law but keeping their jobs.
One such example comes from New York State Police Troop A, which covers Western New York.
It's April 2021. Orchard Park Police find a black BMW with significant damage and a high heel on the ground. The owner, New York State Police Investigator Ron Wilson, refuses to answer police questioning about who was driving.
WATCH: 7 drinks, 6 hours: New York State Police investigator driven home after crash, never given breathalyzer
New York State Police documents obtained by the New York Times, in collaboration with the 7 News I-Team, reveal Wilson had been drinking that night.
Neither Wilson nor his passenger would tell police, until the next day, he was the driver of the car.
But the night of the crash, according to an Orchard Park police report, Wilson was never given a breathalyzer. He was never charged with DWI but was driven home by a State Police sergeant who was called to the scene.
Documents show Wilson drank five scotch and sodas, a Manhattan and a shot. That's a total of seven alcoholic beverages over six hours.
Wilson was later suspended for 35 days. He kept his job and is still on-the-job today.
WATCH: New York State Police internal documents reveal sex on duty, DWIs and lies
His punishment was determined by then State Police Superintendent Kevin Bruen. The 7 News I-Team spoke with Bruen in 2022.
I-Team Investigator Ed Drantch: What would lead to termination?
Superintendent Bruen: Well, any number of things can lead to termination. There have been, you know, from ... Yeah, I mean, any number of things can lead to termination. I mean, I can think of one case where things where a weapon was misused, not as it relates to the public, just not safely dealt with. And that it was serious enough where that was termination.
Drantch: I just want to make sure that we're clear here, what would rise the level of dismissal?
Bruen: Again, everything is fact-specific. It can be relatively minor if you've done it 40 times. I'm trying to be — you know, a repeated minor act, where you've not taken it seriously, can result in termination.
In its reporting, the New York Times explains,
The case exemplifies the lax approach some New York police departments have taken with officers caught drinking and driving, protecting them from the punishments faced by ordinary citizens. It is just one incident buried in a trove of over 10,000 disciplinary files that detailed misconduct at roughly half the state’s law enforcement agencies. The files, confidential under state law until 2020, were collected over the past two years by The New York Times and New York Focus, a nonprofit newsroom, through public records requests.
They indicate that sometimes, drunken driving was treated as an H.R. issue, not a crime.
In at least 17 cases from 2013 to 2023, the records show, responding officers did not take basic steps to confirm if their fellow officers had driven drunk, despite significant indications that they had.
In the police report, a responding Orchard Park officer wrote, Wilson had bloodshot, watery, glassy eyes, slurred speech, unsteady gait and a very strong odor of alcohol on his breath.
In a statement to the 7 News I-Team, State Police said,
"The goal of our disciplinary process is not only punishment, but also to correct behavior. Many troopers who have faced the consequences of their actions, including Senior Investigator Ron Wilson, have become outstanding, productive members of the State Police and remain dedicatedto serving and protecting New Yorkers."
A spokesman also says, "Decisions regarding discipline are made on a case-by-case basis."
The 7 News I-Team has reached out to Orchard Park police for a comment. They have not returned our request.
