News - SSPD officer assaulted at underage party

Police arrested John P. Capitani, Darin J. Christopher and Edward R. Reilly early Tuesday on charges related to assaulting a police officer and supplying alcohol to minors.

Officer Edward Braim responded to a report of an underage drinking party at 169 Union Ave. at 12:19 a.m. While Braim started checking the students’ ID’s, Capitani proceeded to yell obscenities at the police officer, a move that could have incited a riot, Police Chief Edward Moore said.

Braim approached Capitani who then punched him in the face. A struggle proceeded and the two fell off a porch breaking Braim’s rib in the process. Capitani fled and was eventually arrested on Madison Street by supporting officers.

Braim was treated and released from the hospital, but Moore said Wednesday that he had been experiencing some internal bleeding and had sought additional treatment. Braim will not be able to immediately return to duty.

Moore said what worried him most about the episode was that it preceded an incident that involved underage drinkers last year. On that night, officers broke up a party on Washington Street. During the incident one of the officerss was punched and attacked by one of the individuals whose ID he was checking.

“That was worrisome, and now on the heels of that we have a student trying to incite a riot,” Moore said.

Capitani, 20, of Garden City N.J, lives at 147 Nelson Ave. He is charged with second-degree assault, a class-D Felony; resisting arrest, a class-A misdemeanor; second-degree harassment, underage possession of alcohol and possession of an open container.

Christopher, 19 of Cheshire, Conn, has been charged with underage possession of alcohol and possession of an open container. Reilly, 21, of Tenafly, N.J., is charged with first degree unlawfully dealing with a child, a class-A misdemeanor, for providing alcohol to minors.

Moore added most Skidmore students are good residents to the community and he commended those who acted reasonably during the student’s attempt to incite them into a riot.

“We are not going around looking to break up underage drinking parties, but if we see one occurring we have an obligation to do the right thing and stop it from taking place,” Moore said. “Our first priority is keeping the community safe.”

In terms of the new underage drinking movement, Moore said he and Skidmore President Phillip A Glotzbach do not support the plan.

“You can’t legislate morality and common sense,” he said.

Moore also said many underage drinkers do not know their limits and allowing them to drink at a young age does not necessarily mean they know when to stop.

“Allowing minors to drink does not mean they all of a sudden possess the maturity to make good decisions,” he said.

Moore attributed some of the rise in crime to several recent retirements by officers within the department, which has forced other patrolmen to work excessive amounts of overtime. He said this year overtime earned by police officers would increase from last year’s numbers.

Commissioner of Public Safety Ron Kim said he has seen morale drop in the department since finding out the public safety building was not included in Mayor Johnson’s 2009 capital budget program.

“We have faced problems in the police station that date back 50 years,” Moore said. “But we find it disheartening that Kim says we can make a new facility happen and others who basically are saying you are not worth spending that kind of money on.”