Double Standards: Lt. Greg Riley

In our new segment:  Double Standards, Lieutenant Greg Riley is the topic.  His promotion nor this job, was released to the media.  But it was news for then Sergeant Nashid Akil when he was promoted to Lieutenant, after being skipped and having to take the test again.  It was newsworthy.  Once Fired Cop to be Promoted

When then Sergeant Greg Riley was assigned to the 23rd District, he was involved in the cover up of a job in which Police Officer Illeana Muniz beat a handcuffed citizen over the head with her police radio during suspect identification.  He’s being called a citizen because he was there to be identified, but he was a prisoner because in the custody of the police and was in the back of a wagon in handcuffs.

The incident began when a vehicle that was stopped because of a suspected drug transaction.  The white male, Robert Weiser,  did not comply with the police order to stop and drove away.  The police shot at the moving vehicle.

A short while later, a white male was stopped and Officer Muniz was called to the scene to identify the male.  Officer Muniz “glocked” the male over the head with her city-issued handheld radio.  Officer Muniz collected the “runner’s tax”.  Several other officers observed the assault and then Sergeant Riley was on location.

Just as in the Walter Scott shooting, in which North Charleston Officer Michael Slager shot the citizen in the back 5 times and claimed he was taken his taser, where the Police Department took his taser and swabbed it for DNAFeds Charge Cop for Murder/DNA testing on Taser, they did the same with Officer Muniz’ police radio.

Officer Slager was charged both by the Department of Justice and the city North Charleston.  After Slager shot Scott in the back, a video was released showing the officer dropping his taser next to his dead body.  Officer Slager shooting Walter Scott in the Back

Internal Affairs tested the radio for DNA since Officer Muniz denied the allegations.  It’s ironic that Riley was unable to do what he’s done for so many years while assigned to the Impact Unit.  That is to report corruption.  His experience in the Impact Unit obviously didn’t pay off because a blind man could have anticipated what would occur at a crime scene.

Then Sergeant Greg Riley, as opposed to taking supervisory action against the officer, he engaged in a series of conduct to engage in a cover up, amounting to obstruction of justice. When questioned by one of the officers on the scene to stop the assault, Riley responded by doing nothing.  Or as the officer testified Riley “looked like a deer caught in the headlights”.  Riley failed to supervise and showed poor leadership skills to the officers who stood there in disbelief.

Riley and Muniz lied to Internal Affairs, however; there were truthful and honest cops, who told the truth about what occurred.  These cops are the unsung heroes here.

One officer testified at the arbitration held for Riley to get promoted back to the rank of Sergeant, that she observed Muniz exiting the wagon at 33rd & Girard Avenue with “something shiny on the radio, which appeared to be blood”.

According to the arbitration transcripts, another officer testified that he heard yelling and and Muniz cursing at the person in the rear of the wagon, and saw Muniz hitting but he couldn’t see what she was hitting the suspect with.  That officer further testified that Riley was standing right next to him and he stated “yo sarge you going to stop this?”  The officer testified Riley had a “deer caught in the headlight” look.  However; Riley said nor took any actions to stop the beating.

A week later, the officer testified, that Riley asked if the officer was involved in a motorcycle gang called the “Wheels of Soul” like a Captain who had recently gotten into trouble because of his affiliation with the group.  The officer stated he was not.

In fact, the Internal Affairs Investigator testified that the Officer was involved in another job the defense bought up, a job in which that officer stood up in court and stated “I think we’ve arrested the wrong man”.

Talk about having balls, and integrity. Oh yeah, but that whistleblower was kicked out of his assignment (5 squad) shortly after the Riley and Muniz incident.

Internal Affairs had to sustain the job because of these truth-tellers and honest, good cops.  Sergeant Riley was demoted and Officer Muniz received 30 days suspension.  However; neither were criminally charged.

The problem with this job is they should have been charged with the appropriate criminal charges.  Officer Muniz should have charged with aggravated assault, official oppression and she could have been charged with constitutional violations as well.  Officer Muniz is no longer a police officer.  Not because of this incident, she received a service connected disability discharge.

As usual, the cover up by then Sergeant Riley was worst than the crime.  A supervisor has a duty to report misconduct and/or corruption.  There’s an entire directive on this matter.  (Directive 114).  Then Sergeant Greg Riley spent many years in the Impact Unit, but was unable to make the most rudimentary decision to stop and address the behavior that right in front of him.

Riley was re-promoted through arbitration.  Riley was then promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, no problem.  As was Lieutenant Javier Rodriguez after falsifying police documents and “defrauding” the City, promoted to Lieutenant, no problem.

Internal Affairs sustain that Riley was liar and failed to supervise Officer Muniz and orchestrated a coverup.  However; Riley was the best thing since sliced cheese at his arbitration hearing according to the several commanders who testified for him.  One of them, instrumental in the Akil Nashid case.  As witnesses at the arbitration for Riley they gushed with praise and pride for a now-police officer who was caught in a web of lies.

At the arbitration hearing, Captain Benjamin Naish testified that Riley was known to him since they were “rookie cops” and that Naish supervised Riley when Riley was promoted to Lieutenant and that Riley “is a man of strong character and very dedicated”.  Naish further testified that Riley is “a truthful person”.   Did we fail to mention that Naish is married to an ADA, Deborah Naish.  This is why Seth Williams needed to have a fraternization policy.

Captain John Gallagher testified that Riley “is a person of integrity with a great moral compass”.  “Great moral compass”.

Honest Greg Riley testified at the arbitration that the reason his two Internal Affairs statements contradicted each other because after a month, he time to “think” about what happened and to “think about the events”.  He also testified that he “pretty much put the events at 33rd and Girard out of his head after May 27”.  There’s that integrity creeping in on his moral compass to which Gallagher alluded.

And Internal Affairs was gracious enough to give Riley another bite at the apple to tell the truth at a rare second interview.

Really?  So a proven liar and obstructor of justice, as Gallagher was Riley’s supervisor and was well aware of the Internal Affairs statements, believed Riley was a person of “integrity with a great moral compass”.  That would laughable if it wasn’t so sad in this instance.

Conversely, Lieutenant Jamil Taylor to Captain and Sergeant Nashid Akil to Lieutenant:  Problem.  Both skipped, one on multiple occasions.  Sergeant Greg Riley to Lieutenant again after his demotion:  No problem.  Interestingly, there is no media coverage of this job, nor media coverage of Riley in the media when he was promoted to Lieutenant.  Why not?

This is a pattern in the Police Department.  When now-deceased Vinnie Testa, discovered Police Officer Magsam was stealing gun parts from the Firearms Identification Unit, he advised the officer to ” make an anonymous telephone call giving the whereabouts of the missing gun parts.  The next morning, a telephone call was received in the unit.”  Testa then held a meeting with the other officers in the unit and told them the incident would remain “in-house”.

Testa’s rationale was that “it would embarrass Officer Magsam’s step-father (Chief Inspector Feeney).  When officers voiced their disagreement with this Testa told them “I am the Lieutenant and this is how it is going to be handled.”  Thankfully, honest and dedicated Police Sergeant Andrew Little adhered to his duty to the department.  Testa also ordered Little to falsify the numbers on a gun backlog to appear the unit performed more cases than it actually did.

This pattern is the problem.  As long as there is a double standard in the department, Police officers and supervisors will engage in these criminal acts feeling confident in their belief they will not be charged criminally.  And in this instance, unbelievably, be assigned back to the  Impact Unit that investigates police corruption within the department.

Yes, Riley was demoted and facing serious discipline and he was transferred back to the Impact Unit.  The very unit that should have pinched Riley.  Once again it should be pointed out, there is no logistics officer.  However; in this case, it seems like a good old fashioned “hook-up”.  No criminal charges, re-promoted to Sergeant, then promoted to Lieutenant without making headlines in the mainstream media.

Certainly Lieutenant Nashid Akil would have liked to enjoy his day without the glare of the cameras and spotlight on his personnel record, which conveniently left out the fact that Akil was skipped multiple times.  Riley didn’t suffer this indignity.  Riley had Commanders testify at his arbitration hearing to counteract compelling evidence against him.

Double standards is a problem.  The Department of Justice needs to be involved to stop these shenanigans.  It has to be more than people sitting in the Districts and Units gossiping about how it’s a shame that Riley got away with this.  But nothing is done to prevent it in the future.

From many accounts, Riley is a nice person.  But in this instance, he covered up a criminal act.  Thereby making him a co-conspirator.